Chinese children caught in lead poisoning scare

[Last Hope]

Chinese children caught in lead poisoning scare​

Twenty-four school children in eastern China have been taken to hospital with suspected lead poisoning from nearby battery factories.

The official Xinhua news agency said that at least 200 children in the area had elevated lead levels.

It said the authorities had shut two battery factories in Huaning county in the eastern province of Anhui.

China is the largest producer and consumer of lead for batteries, cars and electric bikes.

The children sent to hospital were aged between nine months and 16 years old.

Those affected came from homes close to battery factories, despite laws prohibiting factories from being located within 500m (1,600ft) of residential areas.

Xinhua reported that the Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital had tested about 280 children from Gaohe Township in Huaning county for lead poisoning since late December.

Most had been diagnosed with high blood lead levels, said Cheng Bangning, deputy director of the hospital's micro-elements testing laboratory.

"We can draw a clear conclusion that the lead poisoning was caused by the lead pollution of the battery plants," said Zhang Gong, director of the hospital's child healthcare department.

Excessive amounts of lead in the blood can cause damage to the digestive, nervous and reproductive systems, and also stomach aches, anaemia and convulsions.

"My son is now very cranky and restless. He yells a lot," Xinhua quoted Huang Dazhai, the father of a five-year-old boy, as saying.

The boy was found to have 330.9 micrograms of lead per litre of blood.

A level of 100mg per litre is considered enough to impair brain development in children.

Taken from:
BBC News - Chinese children caught in lead poisoning scare

 

[Martian2]

Not a military issue. Not an economy issue. Not a political issue. Zero strategic value.

It's a minor health issue, but we're not women. We're men who like big guns, big ships, and fast attack warplanes. Sorry dude, you're posting in the wrong place.

 

[Time]

Discussion strictly on the military over view, weapons development, and defence industry

political issues seem not to be in the list.

 

[Martian2]

Discussion strictly on the military over view, weapons development, and defence industry

political issues seem not to be in the list.

At least political issues/decisions that affect military spending or performance might make sense. A little health scare doesn't qualify under any circumstance.

We're armchair generals and keyboard warriors, not bleeding hearts.

And there are some, like Gambit, who actually served as real soldiers.

 

[Last Hope]

Sorry!
Postesd it here coz it was related to China. I am sure Mods would move it to World Affairs