Factory blamed for lead poisoning
By Pan Zheng |
December 7, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IN a small village in Binhai County in Jiangsu Province, around 10 children have showed symptoms of lead poisoning and nearly 10 villagers have died of cancer over the past two years.
An investigation by China Business News indicates that Jiangsu Chilwee Power, a large storage battery producer located less than 300 meters from the village, is to blame for the situation.
But the villagers' interests aren't protected because Jiangsu Chilwee pays a lot in taxes to the local government, some villagers told the newspaper.
Jiangsu Chilwee was set up in May 2006. In the past two years, nearly 10 villagers have died of cancer, half of them last year, the newspaper said, quoting two villagers who declined to give their names. One of those who died last year was a woman living closest to the plant.
Meanwhile, children in the village have suffered from frequent fevers and coughs in the past two years. Villagers said medicine apparently doesn't work on the fevers, which usually last for about one week. Some children have even shown signs of mental deterioration.
Villagers said better-off families had moved their children to the county seat to avoid lead poisoning, the report said.
A villager, surnamed Zhou, told the newspaper that Chilwee often discharged waste into the nearby river. Now, the river water is no longer drinkable, and people can often smell an acrid odor.
A villager said he let 17,000 chickens drink from the river on a summer day last year - all but 50 died shortly after.
Villagers have tried to go to the county government to complain and ask to be relocated. But every time they were stopped by the village committee before they could make their case.
Medical experts said lead poisoning can cause a series of abnormalities in the nervous, blood and digestive systems, and even pose a threat to life in serious conditions - it has an even more harmful effect on children.
According to the state regulation on lead storage battery producers, Jiangsu Chilwee, which has a yearly output of more than 3 million storage batteries, should be situated at a safe distance of at least 400 meters from the village.
An investigation by China Business News indicates that Jiangsu Chilwee Power, a large storage battery producer located less than 300 meters from the village, is to blame for the situation.
But the villagers' interests aren't protected because Jiangsu Chilwee pays a lot in taxes to the local government, some villagers told the newspaper.
Jiangsu Chilwee was set up in May 2006. In the past two years, nearly 10 villagers have died of cancer, half of them last year, the newspaper said, quoting two villagers who declined to give their names. One of those who died last year was a woman living closest to the plant.
Meanwhile, children in the village have suffered from frequent fevers and coughs in the past two years. Villagers said medicine apparently doesn't work on the fevers, which usually last for about one week. Some children have even shown signs of mental deterioration.
Villagers said better-off families had moved their children to the county seat to avoid lead poisoning, the report said.
A villager, surnamed Zhou, told the newspaper that Chilwee often discharged waste into the nearby river. Now, the river water is no longer drinkable, and people can often smell an acrid odor.
A villager said he let 17,000 chickens drink from the river on a summer day last year - all but 50 died shortly after.
Villagers have tried to go to the county government to complain and ask to be relocated. But every time they were stopped by the village committee before they could make their case.
Medical experts said lead poisoning can cause a series of abnormalities in the nervous, blood and digestive systems, and even pose a threat to life in serious conditions - it has an even more harmful effect on children.
According to the state regulation on lead storage battery producers, Jiangsu Chilwee, which has a yearly output of more than 3 million storage batteries, should be situated at a safe distance of at least 400 meters from the village.
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