Ill Fisherwoman in Jiangsu Province

Xu Changlian and his wife Wang Jinnan both have cancer, the exact causes are unknown. Wang’s cancer has worsened; she has given up treatment and is no longer able to speak. The couple takes care of each other at home. In February 2013, the Chinese government acknowledged for the first time the existence of 'cancer villages' linked to pollution from hazardous chemicals.

Unique identifier: GP0208R

Type: Image

Shoot date: 16/03/2010

Locations: Asia, China, Jiangsu, Taicang, Yanglingang, Yangtze River

Credit line: © Lu Guang / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★★★ (B)

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Taicang Cancer Village on Yangtze River

Fifty families of fishermen live in Yanglingang village, in the Jiangsu province. They fish for their livelihood and have drunk water from the Yangtze for decades. In the last few years, however, the river has been significantly polluted, and the
fishermen noticed that the water has a strange flavor. Since 2003, factory construction has erupted all around Yanglingang. Today the little fishing village is surrounded by power plants, paper-making factories, and chemical plants. Greenpeace together with photographer Lu Guang documented the life and death of this community living "under the pipe". The water that flows beneath the fishing boats is the same wastewater discharged from the factories, and the air that fishermen breathe is the same acrid, metallic air polluted by the factories.
The problem worsens in winter, when the water level of the river falls, but wastewater discharge does not decline. The fishermen often suffer stomachaches, diarrhea, and other diseases. This January, the village head Xu Jiabao suffered from the same kind of gastro-intestinal disorders.
The fishermen have gone to the local government and nearby industrial parks several times to report the pollution and request the installation of tap water for the village, yet years have passed with no action being taken.

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