Dear Editor,

I had thought that Sark would have a low cancer rate because of its location in the middle of the sea & as it has no traffic fumes from cars.

However, I have since been told that Sark has a high level of brain cancer, particularly in children.

There are several possible reasons for this. I understand that France imports nuclear waste from Germany, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain & Netherlands and parts of the nuclear waste are dumped at Cap la Hague near Cherbourg on the French mainland, near the Channel Islands.

There was also a French shipload of lindane pesticide which went down near the Channel Isles some years ago. This pesticide is now mainly banned in developed countries, as it was found to cause leukaemia and breast cancer. In the past people died of leukaemia after the timbers inside their house were treated with lindane. This chemical can cause brain tumours as it is stored in body fat & the brain has a high fat content. It is difficult for the body to get rid of lindane and it has a long half-life. Details in The Martindale book on Pharmacology.

On 7th January 2013, Guernsey Press reported an unnamed consultant from Southampton General Hospital, who had treated two Sark youngsters with Burkitt’s lymphoma, expressed concern that these cases had happened in such a small area. ‘The Sarkee Times’ carried an article “What is causing Sark’s cancers?” on 25th January 2013.

I also understand that Sark has an incinerator. Incineration can give off dangerous dioxins which can cause cancer and birth defects when plastics etc are burnt.

It is necessary to identify a problem in order to try to solve it, so well done for looking into the cause of Sark’s cancers.

Best wishes,

A. Wills
67 Dulverton Rd
Ruislip
Middx
HA4 9AF