Thursday, February 8, 2007

Death rates for major cancers trend down for second straight year during GOP “Pro-Pollution” Reign?




The American Cancer Society reported that the year 2003 - 2004 marked the second straight year of declining deaths for a number of major cancers.

The findings suggest that the small drop last year (the first in over 70 years) was real and perhaps the start of a continuing decline.

The report credits much of the decline to smoking cessation and early detection and treatment of some cancers like prostate, breast and colorectal cancer. Still, wouldn't you expect cancer death rates to actually increase under a "pro-pollution" administration like the current one?

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death with over 160,000 deaths projected for 2007. Lung cancer mortality in men have been declining for years, but for women they’re still increasing slightly, though there is evidence that women’s death rates from lung cancer are beginning to plateau as well. Still, lung cancer, prostate, cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer death rates have all declined in men, and breast, uterine, stomach and colorectal cancer deaths have all declined in women over that time period.

Dr. Elizabeth Ward, a managing director in epidemiology and surveillance in the cancer society says, “We’ve made a great deal of progress, but we still have a long way to go.”

These findings seem to be at odds with the claims from the some on the radical Left that the current administration has been “pro-polluter” and has harmed the environment.

If pollution had increased to any significant extent, it’s highly unlikely that these cancer death rates would’ve declined! In fact, by the hysterics from the Left, you'd swear that the current administration was undermining the nation's health, or something like that. I guess not, at least not according to the current cancer death rates.



No comments:

American Ideas Click Here!