Jiangxi lead poisoning sees 12 plants temporarily shut

Twelve industrial plants in east China's Jiangxi province have been temporarily shut down after more than a dozen children were found to have excessive lead levels in their blood, or more than 100 mg of the material per liter of blood.

A seven-year-old boy from a village in the city of Ji'an was found to have lead levels of 117 mg per liter of blood when his mother took him to see a doctor to treat his uncomfortable throat in early June.

The consultation led the mother to believe that pollution from a nearby industrial park in Qingyuan district of Ji'an, home to over 30 plants, may be the source of the poisoning.

This prompted more parents in Futan village to take their children for tests at a local hospital and a further 15 were found to have excessive levels of lead in their blood, with the worst case recording 299 mg per liter.

Amid fears about the effects of lead poisoning, about 100 villagers demanded the closure of polluting enterprises.

Excessive amounts of lead in the blood harm the nervous and reproductive systems and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. In severe cases, it can lead to convulsions, comas and death.

In response to the panic, local authorities on Saturday ordered the temporary closure of 12 enterprises at the industrial park. The plants are mainly involved in copper, recycled paper and petrochemical products.However, none of the 30 companies at the park have business involving the heavy metal lead, the city government said in a statement.

Meanwhile, tests on samples of ground and underground water, as well as air, taken from the park and the village have returned normal results. The results of soil tests will be available in a few days, according to the statement.

Also, only two of 205 child residents near the industrial park examined during government-organized blood tests at another hospital were found to have over-high concentrations of lead in their blood. More children are to be tested, the statement added.

Explaining the discrepancy between the voluntary and official tests results, Liu Zhongkai, deputy director of the city's health bureau, said the official testing method is more scientific with more advanced equipment.

Villagers can take further tests at other hospitals if they do not trust the official results, said Long Xin, deputy governor of Qingyuan district.