The air, soil, surface water, and groundwater in Thach Son Commune, Lam Thao District, Phu Tho Province—known as the “cancer village”—are severely polluted by chemical toxins. Even the vegetables and fish here are contaminated with heavy metals and the radioactive element Thallium.
 |
Polluted fields in Thach Son. (Photo: VTV/Vnexpress) |
Since 1991, 106 people have died from cancer in Thach Son, with the most common types being liver, lung, stomach, and throat cancers. Nineteen families have at least two members who have died from this disease (spouses, or parent-child), and some families have lost more than three members to cancer. In the Mom Den area, 15 years ago, 200 households had to relocate due to the unbearable pollution from the Lam Thao Superphosphate Plant. Seventy percent of these families have lost someone to cancer.
A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Thach Son revealed that the air is severely poisoned by industrial emissions such as SO2, SO3, lead, H2S, NH3, HCl, HF, and NO2, with levels exceeding permissible standards, particularly around the Lam Thao Superphosphate Plant and the Phu Tho Battery Factory. Toxic substances spread through the air according to wind directions, polluting residential areas. Additionally, the air in Thach Son is also contaminated by smoke from 90 brick kilns and foul odors from the wastewater discharge of the Bai Bang Paper Mill into the Red River (which is filled with H2S gas).
As for water sources, both surface water and groundwater in Thach Son are toxic. Ponds and lakes show high levels of NH4+, copper, iron, manganese, arsenic, and lead—heavy metals that can accumulate in the body and cause chronic poisoning, leading to extremely dangerous diseases. The surveyed well water samples had pH levels lower than the standards for groundwater and drinking water. Microbial indicators and some metals did not meet requirements. The sediment at the bottom of these wells contained very high levels of lead, with one well exhibiting lead levels nearly three times the maximum allowable standard.
Not only the environment but also agricultural products produced in Thach Son are contaminated. Fish samples tested revealed relatively high levels of metals such as iron and zinc. Vegetables grown near the slag dump of the Lam Thao plant also contained metals, and one family’s vegetable sample had arsenic levels double the standard. Alarmingly, Thallium, a radioactive element, was found in water spinach grown next to a drainage ditch connected to the slag drainage of the Lam Thao plant, with levels nearly double the permissible standard.
In this survey, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also evaluated the environmental quality at 15 industrial production facilities in the area. The results indicated that air, water, and waste samples were heavily polluted with metals, nutrients, organic substances, pH, and phenol, exceeding standards by 2 to 20 times. The most significant pollution sources were the Lam Thao Superphosphate Plant, the Phu Tho Battery Factory, and the Bai Bang Paper Mill. Even during non-operational periods, lead levels in the air around the battery factory remained at 0.23 mg/kg, while the allowed standard is 0.05 mg/m3.
According to Mr. Pham Khoi Nguyen, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, it cannot yet be confirmed that environmental pollution is the direct cause of the high cancer rates in Thach Son, but undoubtedly, this situation severely impacts residents’ health. Therefore, the Ministry recommends that relevant authorities require the 15 production facilities to urgently develop comprehensive environmental pollution control plans by February and complete basic remediation by the end of 2006. The Ministry of Health will continue research to identify the causes of cancer in the region and support residents in seeking treatment.
In addition to Thach Son, many other cancer villages have emerged in Vietnam, such as in Quang Nam and Nghe An. “If we pay attention and closely monitor these issues, there will certainly be many more ‘Thach Sons’ in this country,” said Mr. Pham Khoi Nguyen.
Hai Ha
