Name: Iraq oil pollution: Toxic emissions cause cancer
Uploaded: 2025-10-25T09:56:05.520Z
Duration: 2 min 42 s
Description: For years, the flames of oil fields in southern Iraq have lit the skies but darkened lives. Communities there live in the shadow of toxic gas flares that never die out and despite repeated pledges to end the burning - the smoke keeps rising and so do cancer cases.

For years, the flames of oil fields in southern Iraq have lit the skies but darkened lives. Communities there live in the shadow of toxic gas flares that never die out and despite repeated pledges to end the burning - the smoke keeps rising and so do cancer cases.

Basrah

Communities in southern Iraq, particularly near the Basra oil fields, are experiencing a surge in cancer and respiratory illnesses. Residents and rights groups attribute these health issues to toxic emissions from routine gas flaring, a byproduct of oil production. Local villagers, including survivors and families of cancer victims, report that the air is often filled with soot and toxic fumes, making daily life hazardous.

The World Bank ranks Iraq among the top three countries for gas flaring, with nearly 18 billion cubic meters burned annually. While the Iraqi government has pledged to end routine flaring by 2030, locals accuse authorities and oil companies of downplaying the crisis and prioritizing production expansion over public health. Both the oil and health ministries declined to comment on the situation.

Iraq oil pollution: Toxic emissions cause cancer

The fire from oil flares lights up the skies across southern Iraq. Thick smoke drifts over nearby villages, filling the air with toxic fumes. In Nahran Omar village, homes stand a few hundred meters from the flares of the Basra oil company. People here say each breath comes at a heavy cost. Thirty-year-old Talib obeyed workers in cleaning surfaces inside the oil field. Two years ago, his medical scans showed swollen lymph nodes, signs of cancer doctors linked to long-term exposure to toxic emissions. I did a CT and MRI scan. They told me it was cancerous and I needed chemotherapy. I went through 21 sessions. Thank God I recovered. The treatment was long and painful. In Nahran Omar, many others are still fighting cancer but don't want to appear on camera. Rights groups report rising cases of leukemia, thyroid cancer and respiratory illness. Cancer and respiratory illnesses are widespread here because of the oil operations. When the wind shifts, the air fills with soot. Even laundry turns black. Some families are left, but most can't afford to. Flaring is the controlled burning of natural gas that's no longer needed during oil production. The World Bank estimates Iraq burned nearly 18 billion cubic meters last year, enough energy to power millions of homes. The flares you see in the background rank Iraq among the world's top three gas-flaring countries. If captured, this wasted gas could ease the nation's chronic power shortages. Instead, people in nearby communities say decades of neglect have left them facing rising rates of chronic diseases. Arshad Qannas lost his mother to lung cancer and his sister to lymphoma. He says treatment is costly and campaigns for urgent action. Our ancestors lived here long before these flares. Dozens have died of cancer in our village. Families pay for treatment. Medical reports never criticize the oil industry because it is a red line. People here accuse the government of working with oil companies to downplay the crisis and sign new deals with foreign firms to expand production in Nahran Omar. Both the oil and health ministries declined to comment on camera. The Iraqi government has pledged to end routine gas flaring by 2030, but for those living under these poisoned skies, that promise cannot come soon enough. Mahmoud Abdel Wahid, Al Jazeera, Basra, southern Iraq.

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