MORE THAN 1,300 children have been poisoned by a year-old manganese factory in central China, the state media reported yesterday, amid national fears about the prevalence of heavy metal pollution.
The exposure of mass lead contamination in Wenping township, Hunan province, is the second case in as many weeks, prompting accusations that the authorities have failed to adequately regulate toxins that build up over time.
A local government official told the Xinhua news agency that tests of children living nearby showed that 60 per cent to 70 per cent had unhealthy levels of lead in their blood. The authorities closed the factory last week and held two executives on suspicion of “causing severe environment pollution”.
Li Liangmei (36), the mother of two affected children aged 13 and eight, said 600 to 700 villagers rioted earlier this month after news broke about the lead poisoning, overturning police cars and smashing a local government sign.
The plant, which is within 500 metres of a primary school, a middle school and a kindergarten, opened in May 2008, reportedly without the approval of the local environmental protection bureau.
Although the factory had been operating for only a year, 1,354 children were found to have more than 100mg of lead per litre of blood, the limit considered safe. A gradual build-up of lead in the bloodstream can lead to anaemia, muscle weakness and brain damage.
The plant is unlikely to have gone ahead without local government support. Many poor districts ignore environmental regulations to attract investment, and Hunan is notorious for its heavy metal industry. The Wugang city government said it had demanded an overhaul of more than 100 plants, including seven other smelters.
The problem is likely to be nationwide, because authorities are not obliged to conduct expensive tests for heavy metals, which tend to accumulate over time rather than be emitted in noticeable bursts. Last week, in Shaanxi, northern China, 615 children tested positive for lead poisoning attributed to a smelter, which is due to cease operating tomorrow. – (Guardian service)