Systemic nexus: Petrochemical pollution, militarised energy regimes, and rising cancer burdens amid climate crisis

Indigenous epistemologies view cancer as a manifestation of broken relationships between humans, land, and ancestors, often tied to extractive industries violating sacred sites. For example, the Navajo Nation’s cancer crisis stems from uranium mining on their lands, yet this history is erased in biomedical narratives. Traditional healers in the Amazon and Australia link cancer to environmental degradation disrupting spiritual and ecological balance, advocating for land remediation as primary prevention.

The petrochemical-cancer nexus has roots in the early 20th century, when oil companies like Standard Oil and DuPont suppressed research on benzene’s carcinogenicity to protect profits. The post-WWII boom in synthetic chemicals (DDT, PCBs) was enabled by military-industrial complexes, with veterans exposed to Agent Orange later developing rare cancers. Historical parallels include the lead industry’s century-long denial of harm, mirroring today’s fossil fuel disinformation campaigns on climate and health.

In China, traditional medicine attributes cancer to *qi* stagnation and *damp-heat* toxins, leading to therapies like acupuncture and herbal detoxification that reduce reliance on chemotherapy. African diasporic traditions in the Caribbean and Brazil use plant-based remedies (e.g., soursop, cannabis) to mitigate chemotherapy side effects, offering low-cost adjunct therapies. These systems frame cancer as a societal illness requiring collective healing, contrasting with Western individualised treatment models.

Epidemiological studies confirm that petrochemical exposure (e.g., benzene, formaldehyde) increases leukemia risk by 20-50%, while air pollution from fossil fuels is linked to 20% of lung cancer cases globally. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that rising temperatures will expand the range of carcinogenic vectors (e.g., aflatoxins in crops). However, mainstream science often isolates these findings from their political-economic contexts, underestimating the role of regulatory capture in setting exposure limits.

Artists like Mel Chin’s *Revival Field* (1990) used hyperaccumulator plants to detoxify lead-contaminated soil, merging ecological art with public health. In India, the *Sulabh International* movement combines sanitation infrastructure with spiritual practices to address cancer-linked waterborne diseases. Spiritual traditions from Sufism to Native American sweat lodges frame illness as a call for communal and ecological restoration, offering metaphors for systemic healing beyond clinical interventions.

Scenario modelling by the Stockholm Environment Institute projects that a 50% reduction in fossil fuel use by 2040 could avert 2.5 million cancer cases annually, primarily in Global South communities. Alternative futures include degrowth economies where cancer rates decline due to reduced chemical exposure and improved labor conditions. However, current projections underestimate the lag time between policy changes and health outcomes, as carcinogens bioaccumulate over decades.

Frontline communities in Cancer Alley (Louisiana) and India’s ‘Cancer Train’ routes bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution, yet their testimonies are sidelined in favour of corporate-funded research. Women in Global South informal economies face triple exposure to carcinogens via unregulated work, household pollution, and contaminated water, yet their labour is undervalued in health policy. Migrant workers in Gulf States, exposed to asbestos and silica, lack access to compensation or healthcare, highlighting how neoliberal labour regimes exacerbate cancer risks.