IPS – In Southern Tunisia, Pollution No Longer Swept Under the Rug | Inter Press Service
▻http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/in-southern-tunisia-pollution-no-longer-swept-under-the-rug
GABÈS. Tunisia, Jun 7 2013 (IPS) - The story of Gabès and the local phosphate industry follows a plot that is all too familiar: an underdeveloped town located in an industrial region boasts one major lucrative industry with high output and export values, but the local population and surroundings experience alarming levels of illness and environmental blight.
But locals are no longer remaining as silent as they once were
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Gabès has the highest rate of cancer in Tunisia, and in the neighbourhood closest to the factory, Chott Salam, lung cancer can be found in one out of 10 households. Kidney cancer rates are slightly higher, with 12 percent of families affected. Likewise, bone fragility, allergies and stillbirth all feature higher than average rates.