Citizens of the North Shore and those of Sept-Îles in particular are more affected by lung cancer than elsewhere in Quebec. The director of public health for the Côte-Nord collects data to find out the causes of this situation.
The lung cancer incidence rate per 100,000 people is around 163 in Sept-Îles, while it is 132 for the North Shore and 98 for the province.
The causes can be many: tobacco consumption, presence of industries, exposure to asbestos or radon, etc. The Director of Public Health for the Côte-Nord, Dr. Stéphane Trépanier, wishes to explore this question further.
“We have already started. We tried to see all of the recent cases on the mapping of the city of Sept-Îles, he said. The other step could be to go and check certain exposures, the employment of people who have had this cancer, for example. We are also in discussions with the City to see if we will go further to understand the phenomenon in Sept-Îles. ”
However, it is not certain that clear conclusions can be drawn. There are many risk factors for lung cancer, the first by far being tobacco use. Also, the population of Sept-Îles and that of the North Shore are relatively small. In this context, it can be scientifically difficult to clearly identify the causes.
“The chances of being able to demonstrate a cause and effect link are low. So we have to take the time to think about it, but it is in our active files currently, “said Mr. Trépanier.
The City of Sept-Îles, in collaboration with the public health department, is currently launching a screening campaign for radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.
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