Measures taken to tackle lead poisoning
(AP)
Updated: 2006-09-10 14:52
BEIJING - Equipment from a smelting plant in western China has been destroyed
after hundreds of villagers were sickened with lead poisoning from waste
discharged by the factory, the Xinhua News Agency said.
At least 368 villagers from Xinsi and Moba in Gansu province have been
diagnosed with lead poisoning and hundreds more fell ill last month, state media
and local officials have said.
The poisonings added to a string of recent pollution disasters in China that
have prompted violent protests in some areas.
Authorities have found that the Huixian County Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting
Plant "failed to conduct an environmental assessment" in 2004 after upgrading
its equipment.
Its waste disposal equipment also did not meet national standards, Xinhua
said, citing Wan Yue, an official with the State Environmental Protection
Administration.
Local officials have said the waste was discharged into the air and villagers
started feeling sick in August.
The plant has been shut down and is being dismantled.
Excessive amounts of lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and
cause high blood pressure and anemia. Lead poisoning is characterized by a blue
line around the gums and in severe cases can cause convulsions, coma and death.
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