Cancer cases in the districts Rotenburg / Wümme

Open questions about accumulated cancer cases in the rural districts Rotenburg / Wümme and Verden

09/13/2014

A year ago Genuk e.V., due to frequent health complaints from people affected in various places in the districts Rotenburg / Wümme and Verden in a letter to the Lower Saxony ministries for environment, health and economics asked for an investigation to a cross-departmental health examination of the population.

In these districts, residents drew attention to conspicuous health disorders, including increased levels of cancer they perceive as associated with decades of gas extraction (pumping, grouting, blow-off, flaring, etc.).

Thanks to the Minister for Health of Lower Saxony, Cornelia Rundt, after six months of preparatory work with the state and local authorities and BI representatives, we are now jointly conducting a query in the „Epidemiological Cancer Registry of Lower Saxony“, EKN, could get on the way. The cancer incidence in the joint municipality of Bothel was investigated in the investigation period since the existence of the cancer registry from 2003 to inclusive 2012.

Yesterday the EKN-Oldenburg in the health department of Rotenburg in the presence of the district administrator Luttmann, NLGA, EKN-trust Hannover and GENUK presented the results of the cancer registry inquiry: scientifically irrefutable (see p-value) was twice as high in men at Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma and a fourfold increase in multiple myeloma in the combined municipality of Bothel, than was expected. In addition, the age specification found that a striking number of men between the ages of 60-74 suffer from illness, but also - with a much smaller number of cases - children from 0-14 years.

The exact designation of the group to which these diseases are assigned is long and cumbersome: "Cancers of the lymphatic, blood-forming and related tissue" (ICD-10 / C81-C96), which is why the EKN is now committed to the language "leukemia and lymphoma" Has.

This is a result that will keep us working on clarifying the background for a long time. Why does it only affect men? Which substances can cause such an abnormality? Is benzene considered as a possible trigger? How did the men possibly come into contact with such materials? Why does it affect children at this young age? In the municipality of Hemslingen / Söhlingen, a massive increase in the incidence of cancer was observed, especially in recent years. In Söhlingen alone, in 2013 there are lymphoma new cases of two 20-year-olds and a 40-year-old. These diseases will make the situation even more unpleasant
do.

Of the 12 cancers we have identified in collaboration with the NLGA, the Public Health Department, the EKN Trust and BI representatives in a half-year period (and 15 study groups, as 3 cancers are gender specific
even 6 were under the expectation, 9 about it, but there was no further real conspicuousness.

The further course of action will have to be clarified in the coming weeks: surely a deepening of the allocation of existing data in other registers as well as the scientific clarification of the causes has to take place. As an organization of the environment itself, we would like to reiterate the need for a comprehensive health screening of the population in these gas producing areas. For this, it must finally include comprehensive and long-term soil (current studies by the LBEG), (surface) water, organic tissue (roots, lichens, etc.) and air measurements (urgent: ground-level air measurement points, measurements in the torch
etc.).

We also hope that other symptoms and illnesses that may be related to the mercury findings already confirmed by the LBEG (central nervous system disorders, reproductive ability, miscarriages, etc.) are more closely examined and taken seriously. (Non-profit network for environmental patients e.V.)