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I'm including Newfoundland & Labrador here too (though not stricly Atl. Can. provinces, I know) but still on the eastern shores of N. America.
Anyone have any theories up there as to why?
In the Maine forum, we've got a thread going about this there.
Thanks for any discussion on this issue.
Actually, Newfoundland and Labrador is an Atlantic Canadian province, movintime. It's not a Maritime province; that's likely what you were thinking.
Anyway, lifestyle, being cooped up indoors for several months every year, and the types of jobs worked by Atlantic Canadians are a few reasons I can think of that might explain why these provinces have higher cancer rates. (I'm going to accept your proposition as true for the sake of this thread. I haven't looked into it for myself.)
Might have something to do with mercury contamination of the fish and the propensity of Maritimers to consume a higher amount of fish products than elsewhere on the continent..
Might have something to do with mercury contamination of the fish and the propensity of Maritimers to consume a higher amount of fish products than elsewhere on the continent..
I'm doubtful about that. If it is true that Atlantic Canadians suffer from higher rates of cancer, then I'd suspect it has more to do with:
smoking;
drinking;
insufficient exercise;
diet -- too much fast food, too much meat, and not enough fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables;
jobs in the mining, the oil and gas extraction and refining, and the forestry/forest products sectors;
off-gassing/presence of chemicals in the largely sealed environments in which they live and work for months on end;
etc.
These are just guesses on my part, however. I'm no scientist.
Mercury and Cancer. No human data indicate that exposure to any form of mercury causes cancer, but the human data currently available are very limited. Mercuric chloride has caused increases in several types of tumors in rats and mice, and methylmercury has caused kidney tumors in male mice. Scientists only observed these health effects at extremely high doses, above levels that produced other effects. When EPA revised its Cancer Guidelines in 2005, the Agency concluded that neither inorganic mercury nor methylmercury from environmental exposures are likely to cause cancer in humans.
Seems you've gone to some research to prove my unfounded guess totally wrong. i cant be bothered to reciprocate on your wild guesses..
I would say that Eskimos fit all your criteria how come they arent mentioned as having higher than normal cancer rates?
Seems you've gone to some research to prove my unfounded guess totally wrong. i cant be bothered to reciprocate on your wild guesses..
I would say that Eskimos fit all your criteria how come they arent mentioned as having higher than normal cancer rates?
Aren't we chippy this morning, jambo101?
A further Google search yielded a few articles and whatnot to answer your question. It seems that Inuit cancer rates appear to be rising rapidly for certain types of cancer. I have to take off, so I don't have time to review this stuff right now. Happy reading!
Sorry about that i've had my coffee now..
Maybe i took your post the wrong way but it seemed you were trying to make your wild guesses more relevant than my wild guess.
If the op has data to clarify his claim he may want to submit it to our discussion as i'm not sure about the context of the topic,as cancer rates could be considered high all over N.America
It'd also be useful to know what KINDS of cancer are prevalent in Maine and, theoretically, Atlantic Canada. If the rates are high in Canada and Maine but are of different kinds we could say they're caused by different factors on either side of the border, and if they're the same it gives us clues about the sources. For example, if its lung cancer that there's a big rate of that'll make us think about different causes then if there's a huge rate of colon cancer.
There's a link in the Maine thread showing ALL cancers in ME & also every US state. It seems clear Atl. Can. (as does Maine) leads in many cancers & there is a common theme to being on the upper N. east N. Amer. coast it seems. But we don't seem to have a clear handle on it other than wide-open theories.
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LOL
