Around 2,000 farmers suffering from lead poisoning believe they
have been contaminated by a local smelting plant.
About 900 farmers whose condition was confirmed by Xijing
Hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on Monday, are among the
2,000 from northwest China's Gansu Province who say they have been poisoned
by pollution.
The farmers, of whom 373 are children, came from Gansu to test
the lead content in their blood, according to Lou Zhongqiang, one
of the farmers.
Lou and the others, who live in Shuiyang Township, Huixian
County, believe that a lead ingot smelting plant is the source of
the poison, said Lou in Xi'an on Wednesday.
Bai Zhiqiang, a farmer from Xinsi Village who has worked in the
smelting plant for nine months, said the factory was a major
polluter, releasing black smoke and dust.
Bai and his two children have all been poisoned.
He told that the lead plant is a private factory with some 300
employees, and produces lead ingots by heating lead powder, which
finds its way into the surrounding environment.
The farmers' claim is supported by Xu Fuyuan, secretary of the
township Party committee, who took the rural workers to Xi'an for
medical tests.
"So many people were poisoned by lead that there must be a
polluting source nearby, and the lead plant, located next to the
township's Xinsi Village for 10 years, is believed to be the
source," Xu said.
"A total of 2,000 villagers in the township were tested for lead
poisoning at our local hospital."
Although the local environmental protection authority has
investigated the case, the source of the poisoning has not yet been
confirmed, Xu said.
According to a Huixian County government official, who declined
to give his name, the smelting factory was ordered to stop
production last month and ordered to relocate.
Besides closing the plant, the county government also decided to
give financial support to the children who have been affected by
lead poisoning, the official said.
According to the official, the local government has paid more
than 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) for the farmers' treatment since late
August.
"Our hospital first received the lead-poisoned farmers on August
22, and we have seen a totally of 900, of whom 42 per cent have
been children from the age of 1-15," Cheng Shengquan, director of
paediatrics at Xijing Hospital, told China Daily on Wednesday.
Lead poisoning is particularly harmful to children, causing
dysplasia, a growth disorder, according to the doctor.
However, Cheng said the patients could be cured over time with
proper treatment.
(China Daily September 7, 2006)