From BBC News:
Shangba has become one of the country’s growing number of what have been called “cancer villages”.
A broad river runs to the side of the village, its shallow waters rippling over smooth stones. What they did not know was that mines further upstream were dumping their waste into it.
Scientist Chen Nengchang has been studying the cause and effects of the pollution on the village. He has found high levels of poisonous heavy metals in the water. He believes there is a direct connection between incidences of cancer and mining in the area. [Full Text]
– Also NYTimes’ Rivers Run Black, and Chinese Die of Cancer (Sept. 2004)
– China Daily’s story on “cancer village” of Jiangsu Province (May 2004)
– Yahoo News’ “Cancer village” highlights China’s water woes
