A new study reveals another way that climate change could disproportionately harm women.
The research effort, published this week in the journal Frontiers, revealed a spike in cancer rates over the past 20 years among women living in several Middle Eastern and North African countries – a region that is particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change. The increase in diagnoses occurred in tandem with rising temperatures.
They additionally found that “as temperatures rise, [the] cancer mortality among women also rises — particularly for ovarian and breast cancers,” Dr. Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria of the American University in Cairo, the study’s lead author, told Frontiers. “Although the increases per degree of temperature rise are modest, their cumulative public health impact is substantial.”
Specifically, the team looked at temperature increases, as well as breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancer cases and deaths, throughout 17 nations in the MENA region between 1998 and 2019. Through this, they discovered that for every degree the temperature rose, cancer rates increased from 173 to 280 per 100,000 people, and deaths rose from 171 to 332 per 100,000 people.
The effect was mostly localized to six studied nations, they said: Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Syria.
Researchers attribute this effect to the increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation and air pollutants that comes with global warming, specifically due to resulting ozone layer depletion, droughts and wildfires. Negative impacts on food and water supplies also play a role, they add.
As do inequities in healthcare access, study co-author Dr. Sungsoo Chun, also of the American University in Cairo, noted. “Marginalized women face a multiplied risk because they are more exposed to environmental hazards and less able to access early screening and treatment services.”
When it comes to countering the harm, increasing the number of cancer-screening programs and developing better overall healthcare systems for women in the area are both critical steps, Chun added. “Without addressing these underlying vulnerabilities, the cancer burden linked to climate change will continue to grow.”
