 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Nearly 1,000 children poisoned with lead in central China: report
Beijing (AFP) Oct 13, 2009 Nearly 1,000 children in central China have tested positive for lead poisoning in the latest environmental scandal to erupt in the nation's smelting industry, state press said Tuesday. The news comes close on the heels of a spate of lead poisoning incidents around China, and after residents in Jiyuan city, Henan province, protested over pollution from three local smelters last month, Xinhua news agency said. "The news (of excess lead levels) is like an earthquake," the report quoted Li Hongwei, a Jiyuan resident as saying. "We are all worried about the health of our kids." Following tests on more than 2,700 children under the age of 14, health authorities found that 968 children had excessive levels of lead in their blood, the report said. All children living within 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) of the three major lead smelters -- the Yuguang Gold and Lead Group, Wanyang Smeltery Group and the Jinli Smelting -- were removed from the area, it added. Excessive levels of lead are considered hazardous particularly to children, who can experience stunted growth and even mental retardation. The Jiyuan government further suspended production at 32 of the 35 electrolytic lead plants in the area, it added. "The excessive blood lead levels are a result of long-term accumulation of pollution," the report cited Jiyuan mayor Zhao Suping as saying. The city has a 52-year history of lead production, it said. The scandal follows a mass lead poisoning case in neighbouring Shaanxi province in August when 851 children tested positive for excessive lead levels in their blood, leading to the hospitalisation of 174, the report said. Since then similar cases have appeared in Hunan, Fujian and Yunnan provinces, leading to public protests against pollution and the sacking and jailing of government officials and factory bosses. Pollution-related health scares are common in China, where an emphasis on economic growth has lead to widespread disregard for environmental protection. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
Africans in legal battle over toxic wasteLondon (UPI) Oct 9, 2009 Greenpeace is locked in a legal battle with Trafigura, a London-based oil trader, over the dumping of toxic waste in Ivory Coast in 2006 that poisoned thousands of people and killed 15. The case highlights a dangerous spinoff of the global resources boom: the smuggling of huge amounts of dangerous waste from Europe to the poor countries of the Third World. In September Trafigura ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook