Where Do Americans Get Cancer?Pend Oreille County

The high cancer rates of Pend Oreille county residents are going up. Right now, Pend Oreille county has higher cancer rates then all of its neighboring counties (Stevens, Bonner, Boundary) and higher rates then the next larger circle of counties (Ferry, Lincoln, Spokane).

These images were taken from the National Cancer Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  An interactive map is available here.

Pend Oreille county is the pink county just above Spokane. If you notice, it ranks quite poorly compared to the surrounding counties.

Both Kootenai and Shoshone county (Idaho) have high to very high rates of cancer. Shoshone county has a high rate due to its history of mining and smelting operations.

Mining is and almost always has been the county's best known industry. The county's Silver Valley is one of the nation's greatest mining regions.  Shoshone County

They forgot to mention their high rates of cancer now found in Shoshone county, but there you have it. Money always triumphs over health and we're all supposed to go along with this while we get sick and die.

Kootenai county also has a higher rate of cancer. Breast cancer, lung cancer and all cancer types are shown by county on the interactive map link above.

Here is a image of the mines in Kootenai county, which contain a lot of lead mines:

You can find another interactive map here.

Fortunately, Newport has built a new Family Care facility in town. Residents are going to need it if the smelting operation in Usk is built. This will be a boon for the doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists that will be needed. Health insurance costs will skyrocket.

Environmental factors are well known to contribute to the various types of cancers. Long-term exposure to toxins, chemicals, carcinogenic compounds is definitely a factor when conducting health related studies. Cancer is not the only disease that can be caused, but it is one of the most feared.

No resident will be immune from any environmental conditions that negatively affect their health. This includes the soil, water, air and food we ingest. We are "immersed" in these elements day and night wherever we may be. We can only be as healthy as the environment in which we live.

The staggering rise of cancers and other environmental related illnesses in the 20 and 21st century is astounding. Many of the causes have been traced to pollutants found in drinking water, food, air quality and soil. Any industrial operation that contributes to any decline in the environment is a suspect contributor.

Here's what Washington state looks like, you can also see the Panhandle region for cancer rates.

This isn't good. The western portion of the state exhibits pretty high cancer rates, as does Pend Oreille county way off on the eastern edge of the state (pink county above Spokane). Notably, Pend Oreille county is surrounded by other less affected counties.

Here's the mines already in Pend Oreille county:

Some Pend Oreille county officials are stupidly hoping for a new smelting operations in Usk which will make a bad situation even worse.

One thing I've found it do not assume that any of these people "know more then you do" because they most certainly don't. I've also found that they are quite indifferent to the concerns of county residents. This is why you are not being told the whole story of what we can expect.

If you want to know why Pend Oreille County has the problems that it does, it is because we do not have competent representation. They are responsible for the health and conditions of this county and now some of them are proposing to make it worse for the rest of us.

This is unconscionable and cannot be allowed. But you will have to do something to stop it. Don't assume that doing nothing will be sufficient because it won't. Remember, they are indifferent to residents. You will need to express your anger and displeasure that they would even consider a smelting operation that will affect our quality of life here. And if that doesn't work, they will need to be removed.

There are many other possible projects and proposals that could be developed in Pend Oreille county that would have a truly negligible impact on environmental health - and provide needed jobs and growth. A smelting operation however, is most certainly not one of them.