Skip to main content

Secondary menu

User menu

  • Join
  • OR
  • Log In

MNN - Mother Nature Network

Thursday, May 23, 2013
SPECIAL FEATURES:
  • Leaderboard
  • Nest
  • TreeHugger
  • Photos
  • Blogs
  • SB 2013
  • Joy of Less

Search form

Social links

Main menu

  • Earth Matters
    • Browse all »
    • Animals
    • Weather
    • Energy
    • Politics
    • Space
    • Translating Uncle Sam
    • Wilderness & Resources
  • Health
    • Browse all »
    • Allergies
    • Fitness & Well-Being
    • Healthy Spaces
  • Lifestyle
    • Browse all »
    • Arts & Culture
    • Travel
    • Natural Beauty & Fashion
    • Recycling
    • Responsible Living
  • Green Tech
    • Browse all »
    • Computers
    • Gadgets & Electronics
    • Research & Innovations
    • Transportation
  • Eco-Biz & Money
    • Browse all »
    • Green Workplace
    • Personal Finance
    • Sustainable Business Practices
  • Food & Drink
    • Browse all »
    • Beverages
    • Healthy Eating
    • Recipes
  • Your Home
    • Browse all »
    • At Home
    • Organic Farming & Gardening
    • Remodeling & Design
  • Family
    • Browse all »
    • Babies & Pregnancy
    • Family Activities
    • Pets
    • Protection & Safety

Breadcrumb Navigation

MNN.COM › Earth Matters › Wilderness & Resources
    x
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
Pollution sparks panic water buying in China
firefighters had dumped chemicals aimed at neutralizing the cadmium into the river.

By

Agence France-Presse
Thu, Jan 26 2012 at 1:17 AM

Related Topics:

Water Pollution
Bottled water on a shelf in a Beijing supermarket

HERE FOR NOW: Bottled water on a shelf in a Beijing supermarket. Government officials are monitoring supplies and prices of bottled water at supermarkets. (Photo: Gou Yige/AFP)

SHANGHAI — Pollution in China's southern region of Guangxi sparked panic buying of bottled water after a mining firm dumped toxic cadmium into a river, according to state media.
 
Residents in Liuzhou city filled shopping carts with boxes of bottled water, as the government sought to reassure people that the drinking water supply was safe, Shanghai's Oriental Morning Post reported.
 
Authorities found waste discharged into the Longjiang river by the Jinhe Mining Co caused excessive levels of cadmium some three times the government's accepted limit, the official Xinhua news agency said.
 
The pollution was originally detected on Jan. 15 after it killed a "small number" of fish, but measurements on Jan. 25 showed elevated levels of cadmium further downstream, it said.
 
The Liuzhou government could not be reached for comment on Jan. 26, a public holiday for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
 
Authorities had dispatched officials to ensure ample supply of bottled water at shops and prevent price gouging, Xinhua said. State media showed pictures of shelves at one supermarket almost stripped bare of bottled water.
 
However, Liuzhou officials said water quality in the area was "safe." Over the past week, firefighters had dumped chemicals aimed at neutralizing the cadmium into the river.
 
According to the World Health Organization cadmium is a carcinogen which can seriously damage the kidneys, bones and respiratory system. It has several industrial applications, ranging from steel to batteries.
 
Three decades of rapid economic growth and lax enforcement of environmental protection laws have caused most waterways in China to be heavily contaminated with toxic waste from factories and farms.
 
A toxic algae bloom — likely caused by pollution such as chemical fertilizer — on Taihu Lake in eastern China contaminated water supplies for more than 2.3 million people in 2007.
 
Pollution by individual factories has also sparked protests in China as residents, who fear for their health, show a rising awareness about the environment.
 
In a recent case, hundreds of people living near a plant making solar panels in eastern China protested in September last year, forcing authorities to temporarily shut the Jinko Solar factory.
 
Copyright 2012  AFP Asian Edition

 

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 2
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
Log in or
create an account
  • Sign in using this account:
anonymous
Emily Sanchez Jan 31 2012 at 5:37 PM

how to print this article out for article day at school someone please help

|
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Report This Post 
tarrant's picture
Tarrant Feb 01 2012 at 9:06 AM

If you are using a windows computer, press down the ctrl and P keys at the same time. Or you can click file at the top of your window, then choose print. Print from the file menu should work for an Apple product as well.

|
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Report This Post 

EDITORS' PICKS

tease drones

line

tease book cars

line

tease sunscreen

Advertisement

TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON

  1. U.S. solider and stray cat save each other in Afghanistan
  2. Student science experiment finds plants won't grow near Wi-Fi router
  3. 13 natural remedies for the ant invasion
  4. Why we turn to dogs when disaster strikes
  5. 10 false facts most people think are true
  6. 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
  7. Happy World Turtle Day
  8. World's oldest beehive discovered in ancient church
  9. Kidnapped women will have chance to adopt Ariel Castro's dogs
  10. Jon Stewart explains the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’
+ Add this to my site

Advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered
Advertisement
Advertisement

Footer menu

  • Quick Links
    • Joy of Less
    • About Us
    • Advisory Board
    • Editors' Blog
    • Press
    • Privacy
    • Sitemap
    • Terms of Service
  • MNN Tools
    • Advice
    • Blogs
    • Day in History
    • Eco-glossary
    • Infographics
    • Lists
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Connect
    • The Nest
    • Contact Us
    • Mixed Greens
    • Newsletters
    • RSS
    • Social
    • TreeHugger
    • Mobile
  • Channels
    • Earth Matters
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Green Tech
    • Eco-Biz & Money
    • Your Home
    • Family
    • State Reports
  • Follow MNN
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
    • Google+
    • StumbleUpon

Copyright © 2013 MNN Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Website by GLICK INTERACTIVE | Powered by CIRRACORE

SPONSORS