Iraqi Father Blames Oil Companies for Son's Cancer Diagnosis

A father who lost his son to cancer in Iraq confronted British Petroleum (BP) at its annual meeting, accusing oil companies of contributing to environmental pollution. He stated, "Cancer is so widespread that it has become like the flu," after a doctor informed him that the death might have been caused by gas flaring from the company's oil fields. His son, Ali Hussein Jaloud, documented parts of his life for a report by BBC, which concluded that there are high levels of cancer-associated pollutants at a BP oil field. Ali died on April 21, due to complications from leukemia. The company expressed its condolences to the family. An investigation by BBC Arabic revealed that Iraqi communities living near oil fields, where gas is flared into the open air, are significantly at risk for developing leukemia.