The phenomenon of "cancer villages" has emerged in many parts of rural China, drawing media attention and becoming a fact of social life. However, the relationship between pollution and disease is often hard to discern. Through sociological analysis of several villages with different social and economic structures, the authors offer a comprehensive, historically grounded analysis of the coexistence between the incidence of cancer, environmental pollution and villagers’ lifestyles, as well as the perceptions, claims and responses of different actors. They situate the appearance of "cancer villages" in the context of social, economic and cultural change in China, tracing the evolution of the issue over two decades, and providing deep insights into the complex interactions and trade-offs between economic growth, environmental change and public health.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Preface to the English Language Edition
- Jennifer Holdaway and Wang Wuyi
- 1. Retrospective Thoughts on the ‘Cancer Village’ Phenomenon
- 2. The Ins and Outs of a ‘Cancer Village’*
- 3. A Subei ‘Cancer Village’
- 4. Environmental Change and Health Risks
- 5. A Prosperous ‘Cancer Village’
- 6. Coexistence of Poverty and Cancer
- Cheng Pengli and Li Caihong
- 7. Problematization and De-stigmatization
- Li Caihong and Cheng Pengli
- 8. Behind the ‘High Incidence of Lung Cancer’
- 9. Villagers’ Perceptions of and Responses to the Relationship between Cancer and Pollution
- Chen Ajiang and Cheng Pengli
- 10. Villagers Strategies for Mitigating Environmental Health Risks
- Chen Ajiang and Cheng Pengli
- Index
- 索引Index
- List of Figures, Graphs and Tables
- Graphs
- Graph 1.1 China’s economy 1952-2015
- Graph 1.2 Chemical fertilizer (in converted tons)16 and net amount of nitrogen fertilizer used in agriculture in China, 1980-2015
- Graph 1.3 China’s urbanization rate, 1980-2015
- Graph 4.1 Number of people with oesophageal cancer in Bei Village
- Figures
- Figure 3.1 The geographical relationship between the Julong Chemical Plant and the Dongjing Village communities, land and river
- Figure 4.1 Oesophageal cancer nitrosamine risk diagram
- Figure 4.2 The relationship between oesophageal cancer and risk factors
- Figure 4.3 Village and water layout in the Bei Village area of Lianshui County
- Figure 5.1 A schematic view of Xiqiao Village
- Figure 5.2 Production process at the metal furniture factory
- Figure 7.1 Schematic diagram of the mine, the rivers and the villages
- Figure 9.1 Map of the location of the Xiqiao metal furniture factory
- Tables
- Table 1.1 China’s economy from 1952 to 2015
- Table 1.2 Household waste: total collected, number of waste incinerators and incineration rate, 2003-2015
- Table 1.3 Incineration rates over various years as a percentage of all waste collected in three provinces
- Table 2.1 Number of articles about ‘cancer villages’ in journals and newspapers, 2001-2010
- Table 2.2 Gender and smoking behaviour of lung cancer mortality cases
- Table 2.3 Gender and history of Hepatitis B patients who died of liver cancer
- Table 2.4 List of patients who died of cancer in Huangmengying
- Table 3.1 Dongjing Village 2001-2005 record of the deceased
- Table 3.2 Dongjing Village 2001-2005 record of cancer survivors
- Table 3.3 Annual rural cancer mortality rate and Dongjing cancer mortality rate
- Table 3.4 Cancer mortality rates in Dongjing, Funing and Yancheng
- Table 4.1 Floods, waterlogging and drought in Lianshui County
- Table 4.2 Lianshui County population and food production
- Table 4.3 Comparison of per capita main agricultural production: Jiangsu Province and Lianshui County
- Table 4.4 Fertilizer usage and livestock farming in Lianshui County
- Table 4.5 Basic situation of water plants in Qianji Township, Lianshui County
- Table 4.6 List of Bei Village malignant tumour patients
- Table 5.1 Industrial enterprises in Xiqiao Village
- Table 5.2 Cancer mortality statistics for Dingbang Village
- Table 5.3 Dingbang Village cancer patients who are still alive
- Table 5.5 Cancer mortality in Group 10, Xiqiao Village
- Table 5.4 China annual rural cancer mortality rate (unit: 1/100,000)
- Table 6.1 Cancer deaths in Jiannan
- Table 6.2 Mortality rates for major cancers nationwide and in Jiannan (1/ 100,000)
- Table 6.3 Huating industrial enterprises from the 1970s to the 1990s
- Table 6.4 Test results from the three water samples from Jiannan
- Table 7.1 Liangqiao cancer deaths, 1982-2007
- Table 7.2 Cancers mortality rates in 1991 and 2000 in certain regions of China (1/100,000)
- Table 7.3 Main media reports concerning cancer deaths in Shangba
- Table 8.1 List of cancer deaths in Y Village before the plant was built (1993-2005)
- Table 8.2 List of cancer deaths after the plant was built (2005-2009) in Y Village
- Table 8.3 Surviving cancer victims in Y Village after the plant was built
- Table 8.4 Confirmation of ‘lung cancer’ deaths after the plant was built
- Table 9.1 The basic situation of the four ‘cancer villages’
- Table 9.2 Levels of heavy metals in Shangba’s soil, well water, rice, and vegetables
- Table 9.3 Test results for three water samples from Jiannan
- Table 9.4 Ideal types of responses to health risks in ‘cancer villages’
- Plates
- Photograph 1 A secondary tributary of the Huai River upstream from Huangmengying Village (April 2009)
- Photograph 2 Shaying River (April 2009)
- Photograph 3 ‘Internal Pollution’ of ponds in Huangmengying (April 2012)
- Photograph 4 A new deep well in Huangmengying April (2012)
- Photograph 5 A new image for the village, promoting the ‘Circular Economy’ (April 2009)
- Photograph 6 Huangmengying named ‘A Provincial Level Ecological Village’ (August 2011)
- Photograph 7 Subei Main irrigation channel (August 2007)
- Photograph 8 The Julong chemical factory in the fields of Dongjing (January 2008)
- Photograph 9 Pollution from the Julong chemical plant is emitted into local fields through the irrigation system (August 2007)
- Photograph 10 Water from the Julong chemical plant enters the local production river of the village (January 2008)
- Photograph 11 A typical spot for local water use in Dongjing (August 2007)
- Photograph 12 Ducks reappear in the rivers around Dongjing after the Julong chemical plant is relocated (October 2011)
- Photograph 13 The metal furniture factory in Xiqiao Village (May 2008)
- Photograph 14 The subsidiary of the metal furniture factory located amid the paddy fields (December 2010)
- Photograph 15 White waste water from the textile factories in Xiqiao (February 2007)
- Photograph 16 Pollution on the surface of rivers in Xiqiao (May 2008)
- Photograph 17 The chimney of the glass factory, photographed from a villager’s home (December 2010)
- Photograph 18 The new waste water plant being built by B Mine upstream of Liangqiao village (December 2010)
- Photograph 19 The water quality in the Li River upstream from Liangqiao (December 2010)
- Photograph 20 Steam from the chimney of the L Waste incineration power plant (December 2010)
- Photograph 21 The online monitoring system in front of L Waste incineration power plant (December 2010)
- Photograph 22 Fly ash solidification area of L Waste incineration power plant (December 2010)
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