Massive fire and explosion close-up in military combat and war. Vehicle explosion from a tank in a city in the Middle East. Military Concept. Strength, power, explosion.
Part XIV of a “Cancer/Medical Moonshot” Series
“The war (on cancer) really should be against all toxins, microplastics, and processed and ultra-processed foods,” commented Chris Joseph in Part XIII of this series. He is one of the leading contributors in the “Pancreatic Cancer Survivors” Facebook Group.
The invasion of Iran by the United States and Israel may lead to millions of new cancer cases, starting in the capital city of Tehran, and extending to other Iranian cities and provinces, and other adjacent countries. How? According to the New York Times, CNN, and other media reports, the Israeli military struck several Iranian fuel sites, including oil storage depots, last weekend. They appeared to be the first attacks on the country’s energy infrastructures since the U.S.-Israeli “undeclared war” on Iran began.
Iran’s population is estimated to be approximately 92 to 93 million as of early 2026. It is the 17th most-populous country in the world, with over 73% of the population living in urban areas. The population is relatively young, with a median age of 35 years.
The Bismarck Cables also reported last March 9, 2026, that the Israeli strikes on the Tehran oil depot are an ecological disaster. This column thinks that it was a strategically dumb decision by Israel’s policy and decision makers. On Saturday night (March 7, 2026), Israeli jets struck 30 fuel storage facilities in and around Tehran, targeting depots in Aghdasieh, Shahran, the Tehran refinery complex, and Karaj. The strikes triggered massive fireballs visible for kilometers.
Why a dumb decision, especially for environmental reasons? By Sunday morning, Tehran’s 10 million residents woke to a sky blanketed in thick black smoke, with the sun invisible behind it. Black rain, saturated with oil, soot, and toxic chemicals, fell across the capital.
The Iranian Red Crescent cautioned that the smoke contained “significant quantities of toxic hydrocarbon compounds, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides.” Burning crude and refined oil products releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are precursors to sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Acids and other impurities dissolve in rainwater, producing acid rain with a pH below 5.2.
“This was, by any measure, an ecological catastrophe inflicted on a civilian population of 10 million people in Tehran and on the millions more residents in its suburbs. The oil-based pollutants, especially the carcinogenic elements, will spread to the rest of the country’s population of 82-to-83 million.”
“The contamination includes PM2.5 fine particulate matter, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals vaporized from destroyed structures. Iranian and foreign health authorities say the health consequences for Tehran’s population include respiratory damage, cancer risk, neurological effects, and harm to pregnant women, which would persist for years, if not decades.” The environmental damage to water sources, soil, and vegetation may persist for a generation, a biblical generation of 40 years, or longer.
This was, by any measure, an ecological catastrophe inflicted on a civilian population of 10 million people in Tehran and on the millions more residents in its suburbs. The oil-based pollutants, especially the carcinogenic elements, will spread to the rest of the country’s population of 82-to-83 million. Wind, rain, river-and-ocean currents, and other elements will spread the pollution among Iran’s neighbors, including even Israel.
It was a completely unwarranted and unnecessary military action that will surely lead to environmental disaster. Such a criminal act may be added to the pending cases filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Cabinet, military enablers, and cronies.
The website Axios reported that the strikes showed “the first significant disagreement” between the US and Israel since the war began. It was also noted in other media reports.
Perhaps the public may remember how then Col. Beau Biden, a former Delaware State Attorney General, passed away from glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and malignant form of brain cancer. He was diagnosed in 2013, underwent treatment, and passed away in May 2015 at age 46. His death has often been discussed in relation to potential exposure to military burn pits during his deployment in the war against Iraq. Environmental critics have long condemned the military tactics of bombing and burning economic targets such as oil infrastructures, chemical sites, and ammunition depots. And
Following his death, his father, then Vice President Joe Biden, became heavily involved in cancer research advocacy. It led to the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative. As fate would have it, the former President Biden is also being treated for prostate cancer.
