During the Health Fair Play of October 28 at the Ministry of Health, the oncologist Pasquale Montilla, consultant of the National Asbestos Observatory (ONA), illustrated the results of a survey on cancer patients in the Crotone area, classified as a Site of National Interest (SIN).
According to Montilla, the biomarkers found show values of mutagenic and carcinogenic substances up to three hundred times higher than normal levels, suggesting a clear correlation between environmental pollution and the increase in tumor pathologies in the population.
Underestimated risk and missing data
The oncologist denounced the lack of institutional attention towards an area that represents a “cancer mission” for the UN. The epidemiological data from Crotone, he explained, have not been accepted by the World Health Organization, hindering a correct assessment of the health impact.
The failure to apply the Euroton protocol and the spread of contaminated industrial waste in urban contexts – often used for construction and flooring – have aggravated the risk to public health.
Towards a new oncological prevention
The ONA’s toxicological and molecular screening program has highlighted the presence of heavy metals and industrial chemical agents fixed in tumor tissues in cancer patients, with values up to five times higher than the maximum threshold.
Despite the alarming picture, Montilla underlined the importance of the new integrated epidemiology, which combines genetics, molecular biology and exposomes to anticipate oncological diseases.
An approach which, in some cases, has already given concrete results: a former Pertusola worker, explained the doctor, is now in complete remission after a treatment aimed at removing heavy metals.