02:39

‘The water is the colour of soy sauce’: Chinese village grapples with cancer case cluster

With a registered population of 585, Huangtupo village in the city of Wuhan has reportedly had 62 residents diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia in recent decades.

Published: 7:47pm, 21 May 2026

Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei said May 19, 2026, they are investigating media reports that pollution from a water glass factory may be to blame for a high incidence of cancer in a village in the provincial capital, Wuhan. A report by mainland Chinese Elephant News, a media platform run by Henan TV, reported that Huangtupo village, which has a registered population of 585, has seen 62 villagers diagnosed with cancer in recent decades, with most of them under the age of 50.

‘The water is the colour of soy sauce’: Chinese village grapples with cancer case cluster

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With a registered population of 585, Huangtupo village in the city of Wuhan has reportedly had 62 residents diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia in recent decades.

With a registered population of 585, Huangtupo village in the city of Wuhan has reportedly had 62 residents diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia in recent decades.