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Comment by stef25 | Hacker News Reader

What do you think it is about Belgium (a small country but by no means homogenous) that makes it more carcinogous than Italy? In the 40 years that I've lived here I've only know one or two cases of young people getting cancer.

Some stats do seem to confirm your anecdote: Belgium gets 345.8 cases / 100K (6th highest in the world) and Italy 290.6 / 100K (24th highest).

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Maybe it's the zone? I'm in WV and it feels extremely bad here. One note: my experience is in Umbria, I know that there are some other parts in Italy which are pretty polluted.

By the way I've been wondering the same thing for years now. I don't know why. My hypothesis is pollution since the biggest difference between the 2 zones is the levels of industrialization.

It might have to do with better screening. I've read in the past that Belgium is a frontrunner in the screening for certain cancers (like breast and colon afaik). If you screen more, you will find more. Italy is quite poor and probably doesn't have the resources to invest, so ends up with lower stats.

WV = West Vlaanderen? What feels bad?

The air. Extreme traffic, old people burning wood (or worse) to heat their houses and a lot of polluting industry. Depending on the type of weather most days the air is unbreathable. I'm not saying that WV is worse than the rest of Belgium. This is just the place I'm experiencing.

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