Frank Visit Review
Visit to Nahariya Israel , Professor Arthur Frank
I had the privilege of visiting in Nahariya, Israel in late May 2005 for the
purpose of assessing the impact of asbestos from the formerly operating
asbestos plant in Nahariya on the population of the area. I arrived in
Nahariya on Wednesday May 25, 2005 and was there through Friday, May 27,
2005.
On the evening of the 25th I met with Orit Reich and others and learned of
the history of asbestos facility in Nahariya. The asbestos factory, the
largest in Israel, was established in the mid 1950s and had operated through
the late 1990s. The primary form of asbestos used was crocidolite (blue)
asbestos imported from South Africa. The plant was a major employer in the
area, and was thought by the local population to be a fine place to work
because of good wages and benefits. Many people worked at this facility
during it’s several decades of operation.
On May 26th I was given a tour of the old factory site, the site that had
been proposed for a children’s park, the beach area near the factory, and a
tour through various areas of Nahariya where significant asbestos
contamination had occurred. It had been the practice of the facility to
reduce it’s waste by distributing it at little or no cost to individuals in
the area and through this disbursement of contaminated materials a
significant area of the Western Galilee became contaminated by the use of
these materials. In addition, the asbestos containing products made at the
plant were widely used in the area, and throughout Israel, exposing untold
numbers of person to the hazards of asbestos. There were many examples of
clearly visible environmental contamination.
On the afternoon of the 26th I had the privilege of giving a lecture on
asbestos related disease at the Nahariya Hospital, and meeting with the
medical staff. In consultation with them I learned that there were
approximately 40 cases per year of mesothelioma seen at the Nahariya
Hospital, with an equal number seen at the nearest large medical center in
Haifa. This is in sharp contrast to the cases seen elsewhere at Israel,
which are much less common, and also given the population base of the region
and the number of cases, the rate of this disease is extraordinarily high. I
met with individuals who had family members who had developed the disease
mesothelioma, and even met with a patient in the hospital who was in the
terminal stages of a peritoneal mesothelioma.
That evening I met with a large group of individuals to further discuss the
hazards of asbestos and the potential difficulties faced by the community at
large.
On the morning of the 27th I met with the Mayor of Nahariya, as well as
interested citizens, at the town hall. We discussed the difficulties facing
the region and the potential hazards facing many individuals. While
certainly sympathetic, the Mayor was of the view that this was a larger
problem than could be handled by the local municipality, and that it
required additional assistance from the outside.
As a follow up to these activities, on Monday May 30, 2005 I visited with an
MK interested in the environmental situation in Nahariya and later in the
day met with individuals at the Ministry of Environment to discuss the
circumstances in Nahariya. I offered my continuing assistance in this
matter.
It is clear that there is a significant ongoing health hazard due to the
past activities at the asbestos plant. Clearly, by the mid 1950s, when the
plant opened, it was well appreciated throughout the world that there were
significant hazards from asbestos, but nevertheless the factory operated in
a way that not only exposed workers, but seriously contaminated large
environmental areas by its business practices. The current number of cases
of mesothelioma in the region speak to the significant contamination among
workers, but there has also been entirely environmental cases of
mesothelioma found in the community with no employment at the factory and no
familial contact through a worker. Although the factory closed in the last
1990s, the legacy of past exposures will remain for many decades.
Unfortunately, without some significant cleanup of the Nahariya area, which
would include other locales where asbestos contaminated materials were
spread on the ground, there is the expectation that there will be a
continuing number of mesothelioma cases originating from such environmental
exposures. This will go on almost indefinitely unless something is done to
clean up the massive environmental contamination that has occurred. There is
no question that this is a significant public health hazard. The resources
needed to deal with this go well beyond the medical care needed by those who
suffer from asbestos related disease, and requires a massive cleanup of the
environment in and around Nahariya.
Steps that should be taken would include:
1. An educational campaign to notify people in the region that any continued
use of asbestos poses a serious health hazard.
2. Education about how to remove asbestos containing materials in a safe
manner, with the need to develop a waste depository that can properly store
asbestos containing waste so as not to cause additional problems in the
future.
3. The development of a mesothelioma registry in this area, and given the
small size of the country, throughout Israel.
4. Massive involvement of governmental agencies at all levels to assist with
a cleanup of the contaminated region.
It is my view that this serious public health hazard has gotten well out of
control and is probably beyond the resources of the local government to deal
with it entirely on it’s own. There appears to be potential culpability of
many with regard to this, starting with the plant itself, and those who have
not enforced proper public health regulations and oversight that allowed for
the massive distribution which ended up contaminating the environment of
many inhabitants of the Western Galilee. After an appropriate cleanup is
made, the area of Nahariya can be rehabilitated and put to productive use,
especially given its wonderful seaside local. There is a good chance the
area will be treated as an environmental pariah until such a cleanup occurs.
Respectfully submitted:
Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD
Professor of Public Health
Drexel University School of Public Health
Member, Collegium Ramazzin
The Association
For Quality Of Life And Environment In Nahariya il. (AQLEN)
