BEIRUT (IPS) — Reports of a rising incidence of cancer now worry many families across Lebanon. Over the past 40 years, reported cases of cancer have risen from 3,000 to about 8,000 a year.

“Cancer has certainly increased in terms of real figures. Statistics in the 1960s show 100 incidents per 100,000 individuals. The most recent figures from 2003 show an increase to 190 incidents for every 100,000 individuals,” says Dr Salim Adib, chairperson of the Community Health department at the St. Joseph University in Beirut.

Lebanon has a population of around four million.

The specialist attributes this significant rise to various factors. First, the population growth has certainly led to a growing number of cancer cases. Second, many forms of cancer that went undetected in the past are now being diagnosed. “The ageing of the population is an important factor, as after the age of 60, a person is more prone to developing cancer,” says Adib.

Risk factors, such as smoking, are also high in Lebanon compared to other Western countries, where the ban on smoking in public places has led to a decline in smokers. “In Lebanon, people are also increasingly smoking narguileh (water pipe), which has also been reported as addictive and as equally detrimental to health as cigarettes,” says the doctor.

Other factors attributed to the rise in cancer rates are changes in diet. The Mediterranean diet, traditionally rich in fiber, greens and fruits, has been slowly replaced by one high in calories and low in fiber, which may increase the occurrence of cancer. “Exposure to environmental pollutants is extremely high in Lebanon; they may be present in the air we breathe, the processed food we eat, or the toiletry products we use, such as the chemical bisfenol, which can be found in certain plastic baby bottles,” Adib says.

Other pollutants are used in agriculture. Rima, owner of a large orchard in the mountains, recently discovered that her gardener was using, without her knowledge, pesticides that had been phased out 10 years ago in the U.S. because of their link to cancer. “They are often used by farmers in spite of the existence of laws that are rarely enforced,” explains Adib.

Many Lebanese are also concerned by the health hazards resulting from prolonged exposure to chemicals that may have been emitted during the many wars that took place in Lebanon, including the 1975-1990 civil conflict and the various wars with Israel 1982 onwards. “However, we have not been able to distinguish any patterns when we compare figures of cancer victims in the south (where much of the fighting with Israel has taken place) to other regions,” Adib says.

In a normal body, cells grow, divide and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide more quickly until the person reaches adult age. After the age of 18, cells in most parts of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries. Cancer cells develop because of damage to the DNA that cannot be repaired and hence multiply out of control.

In Lebanon, breast cancer is the most common form of the disease, comprising one in every four cases. “This can be essentially attributed to our adoption of Western lifestyle choices, whereby women marry and have children later in life and rarely breastfeed,” says Adib. Lung and bladder growths are the second most frequent varieties of cancer in Lebanon, both of which are linked to cigarette smoking. “If you live for a few years with a smoker, you are easily prone to developing cancer at any stage in life. What many don’t realize is that smoking silently kills your partner as well,” says Adib.

Compared to the Arab world, Lebanon has the highest rates of cancer, but still lags behind Europe and North America. According to Adib, however, there are ways to prevent cancer, by adopting cancer prevention tips like sticking to healthy Lebanese cuisine that may slow down the development of cancer cells. “Tabbouleh (a local salad) is made of tomatoes, olive oil, lemon, parsley and onion, all of which are known powerful antioxidants,” says Adib. Changing their diets and phasing out harmful products might be the first simple steps Lebanese ought to take in order to keep the deadly disease at bay.