Introduction

We first encountered the phenomenon of ‘cancer villages’ while conducting research for the project ‘On Harmony Between People and Water’. Further investigation showed that there were big discrepancies between our expectations and media reports, and the actual health problems caused by pollution. We observed that as pollution got worse, the incidence of disease would increase; but at a certain point, even as pollution continued to become more severe, the incidence of disease might start to stabilize or even decrease. We can assume that this is because when certain abnormalities begin to appear in the incidence of sickness or death, villagers take defensive measures to avoid harm, and so even if pollution continues to worsen, after reaching a peak, the rate of disease will not continue to rise and may sometimes even fall. However, due to the lack of detailed empirical material, we did not pursue further research on this issue at that time.

In December of 2010, we conducted a study on environment and health in Shangba Village and Liangqiao Village in Shaoguan, Guangdong; Jiannan Village in Shangrao, Jiangxi; and Xiqiao Village in Jiaxing, Zhejiang. These four villages all suffered from relatively severe industrial pollution, the incidence and mortality rates of cancer were abnormal, and the villages were referred to by local people or the media as ‘cancer villages’.