Damn near everything on our country’s store shelves is made in China. I was at Fry’s Electronics the other day and was told that all major brand TV sets are now made in China. Some Chinese products are well made, but quite a few are crappy. And some have been found to be dangerous. Then there are the piss-poor working conditions at many Chinese plants. Not only that, but they are notable for polluting the environment. Here is a case in point:
CHINA BATTERY PLANT POISONS MORE THAN 100 VILLAGERS
The Straits Times
March 25, 2011
BEIJING - LEAD emissions from a battery plant in eastern China have poisoned more than 100 villagers, including 35 children, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, the latest in a string of heavy metal pollution cases in the country.
A total of 139 villagers in a village near Taizhou city in coastal Zhejiang province have been found to have elevated lead levels in their blood, Xinhua cited the provincial health department as saying in a statement.
Three of the adults had lead in their blood more than three times the safe limit for humans, the report added, though nobody was found to be suffering from severe lead poisoning.
Officials blamed a nearby battery plant.
'An inspection of the battery plant showed that lead readings in gas and water discharged from the plant exceeded the legal limit, which also resulted in excessive lead in the earth nearby,' it quoted local environment official Jiang Xincai as saying.
Villagers are being advised to avoid eating food grown in the area as the lead had likely contaminated groundwater, Xinhua said. -- REUTERS
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