Increased levels of pollution have made cancer the number one cause of death in China, said a newspaper report Monday, citing a government study.

According to a Health Ministry survey of 30 cities and 78 counties, increasing air and water pollution as well as the use of pesticides and food additives are the main cause behind the quickly rising cancer rates, the China Daily reported.

"Many chemical and industrial enterprises are built along rivers so that they can dump the waste into water easily," Chen Zhizhou, a health expert with the cancer research institute affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. "Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides also pollute underground water. The contaminated water has directly affected soil, crops and food."

Pollution "is getting worse day by day," he added.

A major contributor to the cancer rates was found to be air pollution is a major cause of lung cancers, as harmful granules enter the lungs and cannot be discharged. Large amounts of formaldehyde and its compounds used in house renovations and furniture has been blamed for deterioration in air quality. In addition, farmers use additives on pigs, poultry and vegetables to make them grow faster.

Reports of so-called cancer villages, where residents have high rates of cancer deaths, have also been cropping up in recent years, particularly on highly polluted sources of water.

In Shangba Village of Guangdong Province, for instance, more than 250 people died of cancer from 1987 to 2005; while in Huangmengying Village of Henan Province, more than 114 people died of cancer between 1991 and 2005.