Above, BBC Scotland’s headline yesterday and then another that they were never going to write but should if they really believed in informing us like their mission statement claims.
The above from ECIS – European Cancer Information System for 2024, shows the cancer incidence (longer bars) and mortality rates (shorter darker bars) per 100 000.1
It’d be embarrassing, were we still in the EU, and presented on that chart.
BBC Scotland yesterday had: Risk of dying from cancer in Scotland at lowest rate on record but, of course, wasn’t going to be comparing.
Why?
Scotland incidence is 656 per 100 0002 and mortality 288.9 per 100 0003, both higher than almost any other country in the EU.
EU averages – and 546 and 249.1
Rest of the UK averages? 607 and 2524, significantly lower than in Scotland but still amongst highest in EU.
What causes this?
Don’t say smoking. Amongst the lowest in Europe5:
My guess – nuclear energy especially the leaking waste site at Sellafield just south, upstream and upwind, of the Scottish border.
Sources:
- https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/data-explorer#/estimates/estimated-incidence-mortality-by-country?orderedByIndicator=IN&indicator=IN%2CMO&sex=0&statistic=ASR_EU_NEW&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2024&ageFrom=0&ageTo=85%2B&country=EU27&cancerEntity=0
- https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-incidence-in-scotland/cancer-incidence-in-scotland-to-december-2023/
- https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/cancer-mortality/cancer-mortality-in-scotland-annual-update-to-2024/
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/all-cancers-combined
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-rates-by-country
Talking-up Scotland 
Hunterston, is still pumping out radation from the cracks in the faulty facility. Friends in the village of Fairlie live with cancer and know of others from the same street who are also affected or have already died. This is one small street with three active cases and one who had already died. I am sure if others were interviewed locally many would also know if many others.
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You need to scroll to near the bottom of the article https://archive.ph/KxAsg before the real story appears – “This encouraging trend reflects earlier detection, more effective treatments and our continued investment in cancer services – While more people are being diagnosed with cancer due to our ageing population, survival outcomes are improving, with the average age at death from cancer rising steadily since 2000 – We have invested £14.24m to address cancer waiting times and updated our referral guidelines to support earlier detection.”
As ever with HMS James Cook, Damn Baillie gets the last word, the only politician to feature in an otherwise factual article…..
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Denmark is at the top of that table in spite of banning nuclear energy since 1985. They have a good network of local neighbourhood power plants using renewables.
Also, from that second map, they don’t smoke.
What can explain their high cancer rates? Are they downstream or downwind of someone else’s nuclear generators?
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France? Massive
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Maybe Sweden? In 2016 they had two plants right across the sea pointing at Denmark. Ringhals and Barsebaeck plants. They have phased out some plants since then. 2016 Map here:
Nuclear Power in Sweden
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Denmark now has very strong anti smoking legislation, but it wasn’t always that way. Smoking was a serious problem in Denmark. I suspect the high rates there are a legacy of that.
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