Cancers haunt 'longevity town'
By Li Qian |
November 16, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A CITY in eastern Shandong Province once famous as "longevity town" has now been dubbed "cancer town" after the death of more than 30 villagers from cancers over the past three years.
They are believed to have taken ill after inhaling toxic compounds released from illegally dumped chemicals.
The incidence of cancer at several villages in Laizhou, a county-level city in the province was several times higher than normal, the Economic Information Daily said yesterday, citing a doctor in Yantai, a coastal city administering Laizhou.
Residents in Haicangyi Village said a strong chemical odor, which they had been living with for eight years, caused eye, nose and throat irritation, "blinding and choking" them at night. "We have to cover our eyes and noses with wet towels when sleeping," one said.
An environmental protection expert in Yantai told the newspaper that the odor was poisonous phenol-contaminated gas, stemming from agricultural chemical waste, which contributed to respiratory, blood and liver cancers.
Shandong Keyuan Pharmaceutical Co Ltd and Laizhou Tengfei Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, both are located near the villages, were to blame for the pollution, the report said.
According to the newspaper, both of the chemical plants produced 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D), a systemic pesticide, but without a license.
Qu Jaingsheng, CEO of Shandong Keyuan, admitted producing the pesticide but refused to take the responsibility for cancer in the villages.
"I've been in the chemical industry for over 30 years. But I live so healthy now," he said.
"It's normal for chemical plants to dump waste water and cause chemical odors, the same as restaurants."
An unnamed employee of Shandong Keyuan said the plant never processed chemical waste but directly dumped it in nearby Laizhou Bay.
Villagers said they received 700 yuan (US$110) a year as compensation from the chemical plants, under an order from the Tushan Town government. They called it "smelling money."
They are believed to have taken ill after inhaling toxic compounds released from illegally dumped chemicals.
The incidence of cancer at several villages in Laizhou, a county-level city in the province was several times higher than normal, the Economic Information Daily said yesterday, citing a doctor in Yantai, a coastal city administering Laizhou.
Residents in Haicangyi Village said a strong chemical odor, which they had been living with for eight years, caused eye, nose and throat irritation, "blinding and choking" them at night. "We have to cover our eyes and noses with wet towels when sleeping," one said.
An environmental protection expert in Yantai told the newspaper that the odor was poisonous phenol-contaminated gas, stemming from agricultural chemical waste, which contributed to respiratory, blood and liver cancers.
Shandong Keyuan Pharmaceutical Co Ltd and Laizhou Tengfei Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, both are located near the villages, were to blame for the pollution, the report said.
According to the newspaper, both of the chemical plants produced 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D), a systemic pesticide, but without a license.
Qu Jaingsheng, CEO of Shandong Keyuan, admitted producing the pesticide but refused to take the responsibility for cancer in the villages.
"I've been in the chemical industry for over 30 years. But I live so healthy now," he said.
"It's normal for chemical plants to dump waste water and cause chemical odors, the same as restaurants."
An unnamed employee of Shandong Keyuan said the plant never processed chemical waste but directly dumped it in nearby Laizhou Bay.
Villagers said they received 700 yuan (US$110) a year as compensation from the chemical plants, under an order from the Tushan Town government. They called it "smelling money."
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