Authorities in the city of Wugang in Hunan province have shut down a smelting plant and detained two of the company's executives on suspicion of "causing severe environmental pollution", the Xinhua news agency said.

Locals had complained of large amounts of thick smoke and dust coming out of the Wugang Manganese Smelting Plant since it began operations in May last year, it said.

A total of 1,354 children -- or about 70 percent of those under the age of 14 that lived in four villages near the smelter -- were found to have levels of lead in their blood that exceed safety standards, the report said.

Seventeen of the most severely affected have been hospitalised.

A primary school, a middle school and a kindergarten are located within a 500-metre (1,650-foot) radius of the plant, which was shut down last week, it added.

Provincial medical teams were conducting secondary tests to confirm the initial results.

So far, they have found 45 cases in which lead levels exceeded 200 milligrams per litre, it said.

Lead levels of between zero and 100 milligrams are considered normal. A reading of more than 200 milligrams is considered hazardous, with children more vulnerable to lead poisoning which can harm the nervous system.

The Wugang incident comes on the heels of another case in northern Shaanxi province, where more than 850 children have been affected by lead poisoning caused by pollution from a smelting plant, according to Xinhua.

More than 170 children in Shaanxi's Changqing township were hospitalised, the agency said.

On Monday, villagers stormed the Shaanxi smelter, smashing trucks in anger at the case. The plant has also been shut down.

China's rapid industrialisation has led to widespread environmental damage over the last 30 years, with the nation boasting some of the world's worst water and air pollution.

earlier related report
China officials told to meet complaining public: state media
China is urging officials across the country to allot time to hear the public's complaints, state media said Wednesday, amid a push to stop petitioners coming to Beijing ahead of a crucial holiday.

An influential committee of the ruling Communist Party has said officials at different levels of government should set aside a day a week to receive people who want to file complaints, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The guidance comes as China prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of communist China on October 1.

The petitioning system, whereby people from all over China travel to Beijing to air grievances unresolved or ignored at local level, dates from the days of the nation's emperors.

China occasionally orders local governments to prevent petitioners from coming to Beijing, particularly ahead of events that will attract international attention.

Ahead of last year's Olympic Games, authorities were urged to resolve petitioners' complaints locally.

Zhou Benshun, secretary general of the committee concerned, has stressed that officials should handle complaints carefully so as "to maintain social harmony and stability ahead of the National Day celebration," the report said.

He called on government officials to address and resolve public complaints and disputes at village and county levels.

"Problems can be solved without coming to Beijing," he said.

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