Thach Son Cancer Village: From the earth to the sky are poisonous

Air, soil, surface water, groundwater . in Thach Son commune, Lam Thao district, Phu Tho - which is known as the cancer village, are heavily polluted by chemical toxins. Even vegetables and fish here are contaminated with heavy metals and radioactive Thalium.

Fields are contaminated in Thach Son.(Photo: VTV / Vnexpress)

Since 1991, Thach Son commune has 106 people died of cancer , most commonly cancer of liver, lung, stomach, and throat. 19 families with at least 2 people died of this disease (couple, or father, mother and daughter), in which some of them had more than 3 people lost their lives due to cancer. At Mom Den zone, 15 years ago, 200 households relocated themselves to other places because they could not bear heavy air pollution from Lam Thao Supe Phosphate factory. 70% of these families have died of cancer.

The survey that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has conducted in Thach Son shows that the atmosphere here is seriously poisoned by industrial waste gases such as SO2, SO3, lead, H2S, NH3, HCl, HF, NO2 . with content exceeding the permitted standard, especially in the area around Lam Thao Phosphate Superphosphate factories, Phu Tho Battery Factory. Poison spreads in the air, in the direction of the wind to stain households in residential areas. In addition, breathing gas in Thach Son must also receive smoke from 90 brick kilns and odors at the sewage outlets of Bai Bang paper factory to the Red River (full of H2S gas).

Regarding the water source, both surface water and groundwater in Thach Son are toxic. Ponds with high levels of NH4 +, copper, iron, manganese, arsenic, lead - are heavy metals that can accumulate in the body and cause chronic poisoning, leading to many extremely dangerous diseases. Samples of surveyed wells have a lower pH than the standard for groundwater and drinking water. Microbiological criteria and some metals are also unsatisfactory. Bottom sediments in these wells all have very high lead levels, even one well has nearly three times the amount of lead allowed.

Not only the environment but also agricultural products in Thach Son are contaminated . Samples of tested fish have high levels of metal such as iron and zinc. Metals are also found in vegetables grown next to the slag of Lam Thao factory, even in a family's vegetable sample that is twice as high as arsenic. The most frightening is the presence of Thalium radioactive elements in water spinach grown next to the ditch that is connected to the sluice ditch of the Lam Thao plant, with levels nearly double the permitted level.

In the above survey, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also inspects environmental quality at 15 industrial production establishments in the area. As a result, air, water and waste samples are heavily polluted with metals, nutrients, organic matter, pH, phenol . with a standard level of 2 to 20 times higher. The biggest pollution is Lam Thao phosphate super factory, Phu Tho battery factory, Bai Bang paper factory . Even at the time of inactivity, the amount of lead in the air area of ​​the battery factory area The norm is still 0.23 mg / kg, while the permitted standard is 0.05 mg / m3.

According to Mr. Pham Khoi Nguyen, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it is not yet possible to confirm that environmental pollution is the cause of disseminating cancer in Thach Son, but it certainly affects seriously health. people. Therefore, the Ministry proposed to the authorities to request 15 above-mentioned production facilities to develop a comprehensive environmental pollution control plan before February and complete basic treatment in 2006 . The Ministry of Health will continue to research to identify local carcinogenic causes and assist people in healing.

In addition to Thach Son, there are many other cancer villages in Vietnam, such as in Quang Nam and Nghe An . "If we pay close attention to and check, there will be more in this country. "Thach Son" again " - Pham Khoi Nguyen said.

Hai Ha