Iraq: Rise in Iraqi Cancer Cases May Be Linked to Wars, Environment

Jun 16, 2021 | Adnan Abu Zeed, Al-Monitor
View Original

Director of the Environmental Department in southern Iraq Walid Hamid said May 21 that “Ministry of Health statistics indicate that 2,000 cases of cancer are recorded annually due to oil flares that release toxic gases into the air as a result of extraction operations in the Basra fields,” and he criticized oil companies for their disregard of the approved environmental and health standards and controls.