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Lead poisoning cases spark riots in China

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 374; Issue: 9693 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0140-6736(09)61612-3

1474-547X

Jonathan Watts,

Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity

Thousands of children living near smelting plants in China have been found with unsafe levels of lead in their blood in the latest health scandal to hit the country. Jonathan Watts reports. Two lead poisoning cases, involving almost 2000 children, have sparked riots in China and raised fears of mass contamination of people living near smelting plants nationwide. At least five factories have been closed since health officials discovered dangerous levels of exposure near zinc and manganese smelters in Shaanxi and Hunan provinces. The incidents have exposed holes in the monitoring system for heavy metals and fuelled public anger towards local authorities that sacrifice health and the environment for economic growth. Hundreds of villagers overturned police cars and smashed signposts in Wenping, Hunan province, in early August after the extent of the problem became apparent. At least 1354 children living near the local Wugang Manganese company were found to have more than 100 mg of lead per litre of their blood, the limit considered safe in China. A gradual build-up of lead in the bloodstream can damage the nervous system and lead to anaemia, muscle weakness, arrested development, and brain damage. The factory had been operating for little more than a year, but Xinhua news agency reported that tests of children living nearby showed that 60% to 70% had unhealthy levels of lead in their blood. The authorities have since closed the factory, detained two executives on suspicion of “causing severe environment pollution”, and called in local officials for questioning. The plant, which is within 500 m of a primary school, a middle school, and a kindergarten, opened in May, 2008, reportedly without the approval of the local environmental protection bureau. Amid a national outcry, the central government has dispatched a task force to investigate the problem. In Fengxiang county, Shaanxi province, a mob of angry parents tore down a 300 m fence around the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting company and smashed coal trucks after the government ruled that emissions from the facility had harmed the health of local people. At least 615 of the 731 children in two nearby villages have been diagnosed with dangerously high amounts of lead in their blood. More than 140 children have been treated in hospital. The risks were known when the factory started operations in 2003, but the local government was desperate for investment. It promised to rehouse nearby villagers, but after 100 were moved out in 2004, the relocation plan stalled, apparently because of insufficient funds. Residents seem to have been only vaguely aware of the dangers. After a recent study showed how prevalent the poisoning had become, hundreds of families took their children to hospitals for tests. Xue Yani told domestic reporters she was worried about her 8-year-old son because he was so short and thin he looked liked a 4-year-old. “I just want him to have a check-up so that we can find out what's wrong.” The doctors revealed that the boy's blood contained 239 mg of lead per litre. Workers are more severely affected. Ma Yungang, a 23-year-old employee of the smelting plant, required a transfusion after a litre of his blood was found to contain 1100 mg of lead. The factory was ordered to suspend operations at the start of this month, but the local government has been reluctant to close a business that accounts for more than a sixth of the local economy. The firm has never been accused of breaking emissions regulations, and, last week the local environmental bureau initially said its factory's waste discharges met national standards along with the amount of pollution in the nearby water and soil. Such reassurances added to public concern after the government did further tests and admitted the factory was to blame. It has since emerged that local environment bureaus often lack the funds to make expensive tests for heavy metals, which are not obligatory under national regulations. With concern growing that many other areas may have been contaminated, the government has ordered closures and a clear up of factories that fail to meet environmental standards. The government has promised to pay for the treatment costs of the victims, but parents are unlikely to be easily mollified. In Shaanxi, relocation plans have been accelerated but this has also run into complications because the site of the new homes was also found to be polluted. Department of ErrorWatts J. Lead poisoning cases spark riots in China. Lancet 2009; 374: 868—In this World Report (Sept 12), the units for blood lead concentrations should be μg per L throughout. Full-Text PDF