China's 'cancer villages' pay price (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Dan Griffiths
BBC News, Beijing
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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.
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"The mines are producing heavy metals which have polluted this area" he said.

"Cleaning it up will take years and really we have a huge job on our hands. We have managed to get the authorities to supply clean drinking water, but there's still a long way to go," he said.

For many villagers it is too late. One campaigning Chinese newspaper said 250 people from the village's population of 3,000 have died of cancer since 1987, although statistics in China are often unreliable.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6271103.stm