Today's mesothelioma story comes to us from across the world.  In Nahariya, Israel, the rate of mesothelioma is 10 times greater than the rest of the country.  An Internal Affairs Committee has met to address the problem, but they are troubled by the lack of concern among higher authorities.

On Monday, the committee gathered to discuss the lack of action taken to combat the asbestos problem in the area.  Head of the committee Ophir Pines-Paz said, "People pay with their lives and the authorities demonstrate intolerable apathy. "  It is estimated that in the Nahariya region, there is between 70 and 150 thousand cubic meters of asbestos scattered in the ground. 

The committee discovered that Israel's Environment Ministry had allotted funds for asbestos clean-up, but none of the money was ever spent and no action was taken towards removing the carcinogen.  A ministry official said that the funds were earmarked for clean-up of three specific sites, two of which were later found to be asbestos-free.  So until those funds are reassigned to clean-up of new locations, Nahariya remains contaminated.

A member of the Internal Affairs Committee guesses that Israeli officials haven't initiated asbestos abatement in the area because of the city's profitability.  "The city council's aim to prevent panic and avoid harming the area's tourism looks like one of the reasons that the subject hasn't received the appropriate emergency treatment," he said.

Pines-Paz posed this question to officials: "Do you sleep well with this at night? Residents pay for this hazard with their lives, and instead of running from minister to minister with budget requests, the city council is busy planting flowers."