Zijin mine toxins flow down river
By Wang Xiang |
July 21, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TOXIC water leaking from the Zijinshan copper mine in Fujian Province has washed down river to neighboring Guangdong Province, the local environmental protection authorities said.
The Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau issued an urgent alarm to its Fujian counterpart, saying it has monitored rapidly rising copper content in the Meizhou City section of the polluted Dingjiang River, which runs through the two provinces.
The copper content in the river soared to 0.0233 milligrams per liter, more than double the national water standard for fisheries, at 0.01 milligrams per liter.
The high count represents a threat to local fishing, the authorities said, and may also affect the water quality in Shantou City.
The authorities also found Cr(VI), a toxic carcinogen, in the river, China Business News reported yesterday. Neither the company nor the government of Shanghang County, where the polluting plant is located, has mentioned the chemical in their reports.
Zijin Mining Group, the biggest gold mining company in China, admitted on July 12 that more than 9,000 cubic meters of acidic waste water spilled from its Zijinshan mine, poisoning 1.9 million kilograms of fish.
Days after the first spill, a new leak took place at another waste tank at the same mine.
Company officials said they have capped that spill, which lasted eight hours, and avoided worsening the damage already done to the river.
The company, which waited nine days to reveal the first leak, is now being investigated by securities regulators for its tardiness in disclosing the scandal.
Zijin shut down the polluting smelter after the news broke.
Police have detained two environmental watchdogs in Shanghang County for neglecting their duty.
Police have also taken away the manager, deputy manager and an environmental protection official of the Zijinshan copper plant to assist their investigation.
The company's chairman Chen Jinghe apologized on television for the spill.
"We're willing to shoulder all responsibilities and will not have any complaints," Chen said on local Shanghang County Television.
The Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau issued an urgent alarm to its Fujian counterpart, saying it has monitored rapidly rising copper content in the Meizhou City section of the polluted Dingjiang River, which runs through the two provinces.
The copper content in the river soared to 0.0233 milligrams per liter, more than double the national water standard for fisheries, at 0.01 milligrams per liter.
The high count represents a threat to local fishing, the authorities said, and may also affect the water quality in Shantou City.
The authorities also found Cr(VI), a toxic carcinogen, in the river, China Business News reported yesterday. Neither the company nor the government of Shanghang County, where the polluting plant is located, has mentioned the chemical in their reports.
Zijin Mining Group, the biggest gold mining company in China, admitted on July 12 that more than 9,000 cubic meters of acidic waste water spilled from its Zijinshan mine, poisoning 1.9 million kilograms of fish.
Days after the first spill, a new leak took place at another waste tank at the same mine.
Company officials said they have capped that spill, which lasted eight hours, and avoided worsening the damage already done to the river.
The company, which waited nine days to reveal the first leak, is now being investigated by securities regulators for its tardiness in disclosing the scandal.
Zijin shut down the polluting smelter after the news broke.
Police have detained two environmental watchdogs in Shanghang County for neglecting their duty.
Police have also taken away the manager, deputy manager and an environmental protection official of the Zijinshan copper plant to assist their investigation.
The company's chairman Chen Jinghe apologized on television for the spill.
"We're willing to shoulder all responsibilities and will not have any complaints," Chen said on local Shanghang County Television.
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