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Smelter at Center of Lead Poisoning Scandal Shut Down

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[Ni] SMM Morning Review - 2009/8/20 Nickel Market

XI'AN, Aug. 20 -- A smelting plant in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has been completely shut down amid public anger over heavy metal discharges that have left more than 600 children ill.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. in Fengxiang County in the city of Baoji, had been ordered by environment protection authorities to suspend lead and zinc operations on Aug. 6, after sporadic cases of lead poisoning were reported in children from two villages near the factory site.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But during a protest Monday this week villagers complained the factory's coke facilities were still operational. The plant produces 100,000 tonnes of lead and zinc and 700,000 tonnes of coke annually.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;The workers were told not to wear uniforms to work, and workshops have been brightly-lit until midnight,&quot; said a resident from Madaokou Village, which is in close proximity to the plant.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Baoji Mayor Dai Zhengshe said Monday coke production had not been halted immediately because of fears that gas in pipelines might explode.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He ordered an immediate halt to all production Monday.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;We had to make sure the gas in the pipeline was exhausted before the shutdown,&quot; said Dai. &quot;Now we've closed down the plant, we won't allow it to open again until it has been proven it will not harm villagers.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dai, who arrived at the plant midday Monday amid a protest by hundreds of villagers, apologized for the lead poisoning and its harmful effects on residents.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ANGER FROM VILLAGERS 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During the protests villagers tore down fences and stoned coal-carrying trucks and other vehicles.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Amid widespread lead poisoning fears, Fengxiang county government last week offered free blood tests for 731 children aged 14 and under, 615 of whom were found to have excessive lead levels in their blood. Of those, 166 cases were considered serious, with lead levels of more than 250 mg a liter of blood compared with the normal zero to 100 mg a liter.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Villagers said pollution was apparent even to the naked eye.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A woman surnamed Lei said she had collected a full bowl of black dust while cleaning her roof Sunday. &quot;Whenever Dongling's workshops were operational, you'd see black and silver dust in the air. Stand in the open air for a while and your body would be covered in dust.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Residents have demanded free blood tests for everybody, as the level of poisoning among those older than 14 is still unknown. Dai promised the government would &quot;respond promptly.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; UP TO STANDARD, BUT POISONOUS 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At a press conference on Saturday, the local environment watchdog blamed the smelter for the lead poisoning.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;Lead content in the air along main routes near the plant is 6.3 times that of monitoring sites 350 meters from the roads,&quot; said Han Qinyou, head of the Baoji Municipal Environmental Protection Monitoring Station.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But the official said lab tests on samples also showed &quot;ground and surface water, soil and the smelter's waste discharge had all met national standards.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The words sparked doubt and controversy among villagers and millions of Internet users monitoring the situation.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;I don't trust these results,&quot; said Wang Jihui, a woman from Sunjianantou Village. &quot;If their discharges really met standards, how come so many children were poisoned?&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wang's grandson tested positive for lead poisoning, with 248 mg per liter of blood.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Even Zhao Weiping, an executive with the smelter, admitted meeting &quot;national standards for industrial discharges could still be way behind minimum requirements for habitation.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The smelter discharged 1.11 tonnes of lead annually, according to Zhao.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Excessive amounts of lead in the body can harm the nervous and reproductive systems and cause high blood pressure and anemia. In severe cases, it can lead to convulsions, coma and even death.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;According to international practices, people with constant exposure to lead need regular health exams, including the factory workers and anyone at potential risk,&quot; said Wang Dongqing, an environment protection worker based in provincial capital Xi'an.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; THE DILEMMA 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The scandal has shed light once again on the dilemma facing many parts of China when industrial development poses threat to the environment and people's health.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The smelter, which started production in 2006, contributed to 17 percent of Fengxiang County's GDP last year.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To some extent, the plant also benefited the villagers, some of whom secured factory jobs while others earned extra money leasing houses to migrant workers or running grocery stores and eateries that were more often frequented by the factory workers than local peasants.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But there was a heavy price to pay.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The county government was supposed to help relocate 581 families living within 500 meters from the factory zone by this year, but 425 of them were never moved.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Official Pu Yiming in Changqing town said relocation was delayed because of readjustments in the overall planning of an industrial park in town, as well as the villagers' reluctance to leave their hometown.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The villagers, however, disagreed.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;It's all because the government and business put economic benefits above people's health,&quot; said Sun Yagang, who lives only 100 meters from the plant. &quot;Otherwise, why didn't they wait until after we'd moved to open the plant?&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sun and most villagers were totally ignorant of the pollution and its harm.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;Had we known better, we wouldn't have stayed here.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The county government has promised to relocate all the remaining 425 families within two years and began building new homes 1,350 meters from the factory site last Thursday.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The government also pledged free treatment for the young victims. But the villagers believed they suffered more losses than health.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;Now that people know our village is contaminated by lead, they have stopped buying my milk,&quot; said villager Wen Guaiyan, who raises four milk cows.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many other villagers suffered similar losses, unable to sell their vegetables, eggs and other farm produce.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Scared by the lead poisoning, parents are considering sending children to other counties for education.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;But we'll have to pay more tuition, even if the school readily admits our children,&quot; said villager Chao Jin. &quot;I'm restless these days with so many pending issues.&quot;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Source: Xinhua)
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[Pb] SMM Morning Review - 2009/8/20 Lead Market

Smelter at Center of Lead Poisoning Scandal Shut Down | Shanghai Non ferrous Metals

Smelter at Center of Lead Poisoning Scandal Shut Down

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