Residents of the central Iraqi city of Fallujah are facing abnormally high rates of cancer and congenital disorders. According to a study published in 2025, bone sampling conducted among Fallujah residents detected uranium in 29% of participants. Uranium is a substance that is not normally present in the human body and can be harmful even in very small amounts. The concentration of lead was also about 600% higher compared with similarly aged populations in the United States. Heavy metals such as uranium and lead are known to affect multiple organ systems over time.

Since 2004, the incidence of childhood cancer has increased twelvefold, and congenital disorders have increased seventeenfold. In the several years following 2003, severe congenital anomalies, such as heart defects and neural tube defects, accounted for more than 15% of all births. The miscarriage rate rose from about 10% to 45% between 2004 and 2006, and an increase in infant mortality was also observed. Abnormal increases in early-onset cancers and respiratory diseases have been reported as well.

Researchers link this health crisis to past military operations carried out in the city. In November 2004, as part of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, U.S. and British forces launched a military offensive against Fallujah. The offensive involved intense bombardment that included white phosphorus munitions and depleted uranium. Around 70% of the city’s buildings were destroyed, and, according to various estimates, between 4,000 and 6,000 civilians were killed. Destruction continued for more than a decade afterward, with airstrikes carried out when the city was seized by the “Islamic State (ISIS)” in 2014. Some of the substances used in the bombings on both occasions, such as depleted uranium, can remain for long periods in soil and dust and pose long-term risks.

Postwar cleanup operations often expose residents to rubble, concrete dust, charred materials, and fragments of weapons. In the war-devastated city, where there were no formal cleanup plans and basic public services were inadequate, many returning residents cleared the damaged areas themselves. Multiple studies have shown that children whose parents were involved in such cleanup work may have higher rates of congenital anomalies.

Although much of Fallujah’s physical infrastructure has been rebuilt, Iraq’s healthcare system still bears a heavy burden, and environmental remediation has been far from sufficient. Hospitals lack funding and staff. After the war, many services previously provided by the government were shifted to the private sector, limiting access to healthcare for low-income people. As a result, hospitals are not fully equipped with the capacity to treat complex congenital conditions, and access to specialized care is limited. Public support for children with disabilities also remains minimal.

Similar risks are a concern in other conflict-affected regions such as Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. Experts warn that the intense bombardment carried out in these countries has caused contamination, which could lead to long-term public health crises and broader socioeconomic problems.

Learn more about Iraq → “Iraq: Can It Recover from a Series of Crises?”

Learn more about the U.S.-led wars → “20 Years Since 9/11: Questioning Anniversary Journalism”

Smoke rises from buildings during a U.S. military operation in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004 (Photo: Joel A. Chaverri / Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])