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Sept 13, 2006 14:10:44 GMT 7
Post by con's fly is open on Sept 13, 2006 14:10:44 GMT 7
Lead poisoning hits 870 people in northwestern China Tue Sep 12, 2:37 PM ET (Yahoo News) BEIJING (AFP) - The number of people stricken with lead poisoning by an unregulated smelting plant in northwestern China has risen to 870, including over 300 children, state press said. Some 179 of those found to have lead poisoning in remote and poverty-stricken Hui county have been hospitalized, with 171 of the victims under the age of 14, Xinhua news agency said. Substandard pollution control equipment at the Hui County Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting Plant has been identified as the source of the lead poisoning, which can lead to severe mental retardation in children, earlier reports said. The plant was shut last month. Up to 1,400 people living in two villages near the plant have had their blood tested for excessive lead content, with many still awaiting test results, Xinhua said. Since the scandal broke late last month, locals have repeatedly insisted that up to 2,000 people could have been poisoned by the plant that has operated for nearly 11 years. The plant has spewed black smoke since it was opened, with ash and grit constantly covering crop lands surrounding the two villages, they said. Environmental officials announced on Sunday that the plant's waste disposal system did not meet national standards and that the factory failed to undergo a mandated environmental assessment after an upgrade in 2004. After 25 years of robust economic growth, the Chinese government has vowed to pay more attention to environmental protection as the nation's cities are some of the most polluted in the world.
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Sept 13, 2006 20:15:57 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 13, 2006 20:15:57 GMT 7
Arrgh. nearly as bad as paint and pre-unleaded petrol fumes.
Hey, do they use unleaded here?
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Sept 13, 2006 21:29:49 GMT 7
Post by Lotus Eater on Sept 13, 2006 21:29:49 GMT 7
This one is from China Daily:
Smelting plant confirmed as lead poisoning source font size ZoomIn ZoomOut
A lead smelting plant has been confirmed as the source of lead poisoning that affected nearly 900 villagers in Gansu Province.
A provincial environmental official also said the plant had continued to discharge pollutants even after it had been told to stop.
Meanwhile, the local government says it is taking measures to help improve the polluted environment.
Officials in Huixian County sent medicine over the weekend to two villages where farmers have been suffering from lead poisoning.
They have also discussed with farmers the issue of compensation, Zhang Jiejing, an official with the county government, told China Daily on Monday.
"We also removed eight smelting facilities from the factory causing the pollution," the official said.
A total of 877 farmers in two villages near the factory were confirmed, after medical tests, as having excessive lead in their blood.
Some 334 children under the age of 14 were poisoned, according to Gansu Provincial Health Department.
Since August, the farmers, from the villages of Xinsi and Moba in Shuiyang Township, have been for blood tests to Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, capital of Gansu's eastern neighbour Shaanxi Province.
This mass poisoning and pollution case drew the attention of the State Environmental Protection Administration, which sent a group to investigate.
On Saturday, after just one day of investigation, it found that the Huixian Hongyu Nonferrous Smelting company Ltd, a private smelting plant located near the two villages, was the source of the pollution, according to Ren Longjiang, member of the group.
"It must be relocated to a place far from residential areas and water sources," the expert said.
Yang Hua, an official with Gansu Provincial Environmental Protection Department, told China Daily that the plant had been ordered to close by the local government on August 22.
However, local farmers claimed the plant had been in operation for some 10 years and that they had reported the pollution on many occasions.
"They paid no attention," said Zhou Yongjie, a farmer living in the Xinsi, whose son is suffering from lead poisoning.
And according to Yang Hua, the local environmental protection official, the plant had been required to stop discharging polluted material, but had carried on doing so in secret.
Source: China Daily
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Sept 14, 2006 11:44:21 GMT 7
Post by masuk39 on Sept 14, 2006 11:44:21 GMT 7
In Jakarta, the SWISS government spends a helluva lot of aid money in treating kids there for lead intake. Seems that the fuel there is still in the process of becoming unleaded, and as kids are nearer the ground where the lead pools, they get the worst of it.
On some days, there is supposed to be a ban on kids going to school as the pollution is so bad, but no-one seems to give durn.
As someone asked, what's the score in China?
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Sept 14, 2006 13:15:26 GMT 7
Post by Dajiang on Sept 14, 2006 13:15:26 GMT 7
Man. there's not really an agency you call call for those kind of things eh? I live near a pharmaceutical factory here in Guilin, and sometimes when the wind is just right, I get a whiff of some vile fumes when I'm sitting on the couch.
China is costing all of us a few years of our lives I reckon. Dunno about lead, but all these fumes and exhausts can't be good.
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Sept 14, 2006 17:34:52 GMT 7
Post by Becster79 on Sept 14, 2006 17:34:52 GMT 7
Nobody, get real !
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Sept 14, 2006 19:22:31 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 14, 2006 19:22:31 GMT 7
About what?
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Sept 16, 2006 16:31:20 GMT 7
Post by kcanuck on Sept 16, 2006 16:31:20 GMT 7
Well folks, having come from a profession where I spent a large part of my time sampling water in Canada, I would suggest we not be too harsh on China. One need look no further than the aboriginal reservation water pollution issue back home that has been going on for years. The Canadian govt. pours loads of money into an agency that still can't solve basic issues such as drinking water intakes located downstream from waste treatment facilities.
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Sept 16, 2006 17:15:06 GMT 7
Post by Hamish on Sept 16, 2006 17:15:06 GMT 7
I've looked into this a bit. It is remarkable that, further than a few meters from the foot of remaining glaciers and the vent of some springs, there is ZERO water on the surface of northern and northeastern China that is drinkable. ALL water that is not poison comes from deep wells that are rapidly going dry. Some Chinese scientists predict that Hebei will begin to see its deep wells go dry in 2010! It takes thousands of years to recharge the aquifers they tap. That will be the year to have return tickets in your pocket, and a quick way to get to the airport.
It is not that some of China’s water is polluted. ALL the water on the surface is nearly black and soon will be. The Yangtze is forecast to be dead in four to five years, making the idea of moving its water north to solve water problems here moot.
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Sept 16, 2006 19:34:06 GMT 7
Post by AMonk on Sept 16, 2006 19:34:06 GMT 7
Scary!
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Sept 16, 2006 21:21:26 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 16, 2006 21:21:26 GMT 7
Looks like my as yet unpatented water purifier for idiots may have a really good market. Should work on it some more.
Greed will always overcome any obstacle.
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teleplayer
Barfly
Ni3 you3 hen3 duo1 qian2. Gei3 wo3 yi4dian(r)3 ba.
Posts: 541
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Sept 17, 2006 0:58:48 GMT 7
Post by teleplayer on Sept 17, 2006 0:58:48 GMT 7
A recurring comment I've heard this past decade is that the wars of the 21st century will be over access to potable water if not also water in general.
It's amazing how officials everywhere turn a blind eye to polluting citizens/industry/situations, especially after the dangers have become established. Sometimes payola, sometimes for tax base (same thing as payola really only w/appearance of "for the common good"), or either don't want to cause public panic by letting folks know just how bad a situation is or to avoid the number of damages claims, that would come forth.
On a smaller scale in USANIA are the claims of firefighters and other emergency personnel who ran into the 9/11 bombing situations. On the one hand, I don't want to hear the claims of "I ran into this without protection" because, dammit, they should have known that a burning building was full of toxic gasses and dust. ON the other hand, for honoring the call to duty, their health concerns should be properly addressed whether they had used protection or not. The shame of this is the USEPA sitting on the details, not pushing the public farther away from the epicenter for a longer period, and publishing details of what those working at various distances radiating from the may be up against. Just as I think there was concern over public panic I think there was the desire to keep commerce flowing for the many small and large businesses compacted into that area. I suspect the mayor, governor, as well as the Feds played the odds that they would have few claims of ill health from this and it backfired as the scientists suspected it would. The air particulate study was done by the local EPA Office and contributed to one doctoral dissertation and associated master's thesis in my department..
While still at stage of rumor and innuendo the stories of the levels of arsenic, benzene, and other know carcinogens and poisons that have coated the former neighborhoods of New Orleans flooded by Hurricane Katrina are circulating. If the honorable thing were done, those places that were former mangrove swamp would be allowed to become swamp again. Those mangroves were what protected that coast line for so long. However, the greed of developers will overrule any common sense and rebuilding will occur and not with home for mostly displaced working class but with expensive condos, and estates. In another decade we'll get stories from that area not unlike the "Love Canal" pollution stories in upstate NY from a few decades ago wth the developers claiming they didn't know and the buyers expecting government intervention and buy out.
With all the advances of science, you'd think we would become a smarter people in how we do business and deal with our environment but you would never know it by looking at us.
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Wolf
Charter Member and Old Chum
Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.
Posts: 1,150
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Sept 23, 2006 7:25:30 GMT 7
Post by Wolf on Sept 23, 2006 7:25:30 GMT 7
Wow. The water situation thing is just scary. And when I try to guess how bad things would have to get before action is taken... .
It's not something that I can thiink about for any length of time, even though I know I should be informed.
I really have no other words.
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Sept 28, 2006 20:33:46 GMT 7
Post by Dragonsaver on Sept 28, 2006 20:33:46 GMT 7
Ok, I keep reading about the water pollution. About the serious chemical spills, about air pollution, about etc. Why aren't there major mutations, deaths, etc??? I would think with the problem this serious you would be seeing some significant side affects within the population base by now. Theoretically there should be a population drop due to this problem - of course they would have to keep to the 1 child policy also.
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Sept 28, 2006 23:13:14 GMT 7
Post by Lotus Eater on Sept 28, 2006 23:13:14 GMT 7
If you have a child with deformities or seriously ill and likely to die, the one child policy can be set aside. So you wouldn't necessarily see a drop in population growth. Additionally people are likely to place such a child in an orphanage, and then have another child. Orphanage children don't normally get seen too often.
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Sept 29, 2006 8:06:25 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 29, 2006 8:06:25 GMT 7
Both DS and Lotus are correct. We should however see some evidence somewhere, in child mortality, toxicity evidence, the food is transported everywhere so it should be widespread too. I didn't think of it before, but yes, it should be obvious if the 'symptoms' are looked for.
We just need to look in the right place if it is there. Anyone have any ideas or info?
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Sept 29, 2006 9:49:12 GMT 7
Post by Dragonsaver on Sept 29, 2006 9:49:12 GMT 7
If the gene pool becomes defective, then even if the parents have a second child it will probably be defective too.
Statistics however will probably not be available.
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Sept 29, 2006 12:35:34 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 29, 2006 12:35:34 GMT 7
Should see the effects. I would expect to see toxic effects long before gene defects - but gene defects of this nature probably aren't in the parent's gene plasm, well, not the woman's, and would be inconsistent in the man. Fertility would likely be the first issue here, but hard to find. Other things also, like medical issues in children, but again hidden. Fortunately, the nature of reality is such that all things fit into each other. Therefore, somewhere must be a key.
Medical problems in livestock would be easier and more widespread, and less likely to be hidden, I would suspect.
So, where would you look?
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Sept 29, 2006 12:53:33 GMT 7
Post by Dragonsaver on Sept 29, 2006 12:53:33 GMT 7
What were the problems associated with "Love Canal" in New York State? That can be researched. I know Cancer is one. In Brownsville Texas, (I think that is the name). There were a lot of reports of problems expecially on the Mexican side of the border (1980's maybe?). Children being born with no brain - literally not figuratively. There were other birth defects as well. Mutations have shown up in frogs - 6 legs etc in polluted water downstream from chemical plants. I think this was in Canada. Put your skeptic friends into this search as they may have some search ideas. Decided to do a search. I love Google news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060920/hl_afp/healthchinabirth_060920142448www.wpi.edu/News/TechNews/010123/pollution.shtml
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Oct 23, 2006 13:22:55 GMT 7
Post by Dragonsaver on Oct 23, 2006 13:22:55 GMT 7
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Oct 23, 2006 18:58:40 GMT 7
Post by Vegemite on Oct 23, 2006 18:58:40 GMT 7
Stuck in the top of North Eastern China my daughter and I have both remarked how common identical twins are up here - they're everywhere. What could that be a symptom of? We 'joked' that it was something left over from when the Japanese came through and left a lot of their chemicals in the ground.
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Oct 23, 2006 19:52:13 GMT 7
Post by Lone Traveller on Oct 23, 2006 19:52:13 GMT 7
I'm with you on this one Vegemite. (Well, maybe not the Japanese chemical thing - but the twins thing . Twins seem to be everywhere up here. Curious. L.T
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Oct 23, 2006 20:14:45 GMT 7
Post by Dragonsaver on Oct 23, 2006 20:14:45 GMT 7
Twins are mother nature's way of getting even with China's one child policy
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Newbs
SuperDuperBarfly!
If you don't have your parents permission to be on this site, naughty, naughty. But Krusty forgives
Posts: 2,085
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Oct 24, 2006 14:22:08 GMT 7
Post by Newbs on Oct 24, 2006 14:22:08 GMT 7
First time I came to China I noticed the twins, but not so much lately, maybe I've got used to 'em. Anyhoo, I remember thinking at the time that maybe there is some blackmarket drug that can increase chances of having twins. Some kind of fertility drug. DS I reckon you're pretty close to the truth there.
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Oct 24, 2006 15:35:40 GMT 7
Post by Mr Nobody on Oct 24, 2006 15:35:40 GMT 7
Well, yeah, in a way. The genes for twins will double as a proportion of the population per generation under the one child policy, thus laying groundwork for a later disaster.
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