Toxic Power, Rising Risk

Lebanon’s reliance on ~35,000 diesel generators—8–10k in Beirut alone—may be fueling one of the world’s highest bladder cancer rates. Dr. Hassan Dhaini (AUB Faculty of Health Sciences) explains his team’s multi-phase research on quasi-ultrafine particulates from generators, what those particles carry (carcinogens, heavy metals, mutagens), how they travel through the body, and why a known genetic susceptibility in Lebanese populations could be creating a “perfect storm.” He also lays out near-term fixes (diesel particulate filters and catalytic converters) and the longer-term pivot to cleaner energy.