2009 Chinese lead poisoning scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Chinese lead poisoning scandal occurred in the Shaanxi
province of China
when pollution from a lead
plant poisoned
children in the surrounding area. Over 850 were affected. Villagers have accused the local and central governments of covering up the scandal.
, describing it in brochures as "a garden-like factory". Soon "100,000 ton
s of lead and zinc
a year and 700,000 tons of coke
" were being produced. In 2008 it paid more than £10m in taxes to the local government, 17% of the administration's total income, and provided jobs for 2,000 households. Local parents however noticed that children were showing signs of illness - such as nose bleeds and memory problems. 851 children from seven villages surrounding the plant displayed up to 10 times the level of lead in their blood deemed safe by Chinese authorities. Over 170 of the children had to be hospitalised.
Local villagers protested to authorities but claim they were ignored. On 17 August 2009 they attacked the plant causing the managers to flee. The plant has now been closed down, but according to Western reports all coverage in the Chinese media of events has now been banned.
Chinese lead supplies the country's battery
industry, the world's largest. Lead poisoning can lead to anaemia, muscle
weakness and brain damage
and damages the nervous
and reproductive system
s.
reported in September 2009 that "similar protests broke out in three other provinces, where horrified parents living near smelters of lead, copper
and aluminium
also learnt that their children had been poisoned — 1,300 of them in one city alone". Villages that suffer from such pollution are often dubbed 'cancer villages". Child health is an important issue in China, where many families are restricted to just one child. Nearly 2,000 children were poisoned in the Shaanxi and Hunan provinces. Parents and villagers rioted in the Hunan province after the mass poisonings became known. The government promised to move villagers to a new, safer living location, but plans for the move were postponed when the new location was found also to be contaminated.
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
province of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
when pollution from a lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
plant poisoned
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
children in the surrounding area. Over 850 were affected. Villagers have accused the local and central governments of covering up the scandal.
History
In 2003 the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Company set up a factory in the Changqing township near the city of BaojiBaoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, describing it in brochures as "a garden-like factory". Soon "100,000 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of lead and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
a year and 700,000 tons of coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
" were being produced. In 2008 it paid more than £10m in taxes to the local government, 17% of the administration's total income, and provided jobs for 2,000 households. Local parents however noticed that children were showing signs of illness - such as nose bleeds and memory problems. 851 children from seven villages surrounding the plant displayed up to 10 times the level of lead in their blood deemed safe by Chinese authorities. Over 170 of the children had to be hospitalised.
Local villagers protested to authorities but claim they were ignored. On 17 August 2009 they attacked the plant causing the managers to flee. The plant has now been closed down, but according to Western reports all coverage in the Chinese media of events has now been banned.
Chinese lead supplies the country's battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
industry, the world's largest. Lead poisoning can lead to anaemia, muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
weakness and brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
and damages the nervous
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
and reproductive system
Reproductive system
The reproductive system or genital system is a system of organs within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system. Unlike most organ systems, the sexes...
s.
Similar events
The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported in September 2009 that "similar protests broke out in three other provinces, where horrified parents living near smelters of lead, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
also learnt that their children had been poisoned — 1,300 of them in one city alone". Villages that suffer from such pollution are often dubbed 'cancer villages". Child health is an important issue in China, where many families are restricted to just one child. Nearly 2,000 children were poisoned in the Shaanxi and Hunan provinces. Parents and villagers rioted in the Hunan province after the mass poisonings became known. The government promised to move villagers to a new, safer living location, but plans for the move were postponed when the new location was found also to be contaminated.