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Cadmium pollution
sparks panic buying of water in China
AFP, SHANGHAI
Pollution in China¡¦s southern region of Guangxi sparked panic buying of bottled
water this week after a mining firm dumped toxic cadmium into a river, state
media said yesterday.
Residents in Liuzhou 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 about three times the government¡¦s
accepted limit, Xinhua news agency said.
The pollution was originally detected on Jan. 15 after it killed a ¡§small
number¡¨ of fish, but measurements on Wednesday showed elevated levels of cadmium
further downstream, it said.
The Liuzhou government could not be reached for comment yesterday.
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 dumped chemicals aimed at neutralizing the cadmium in
the river.
According to the WHO, 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 ¡X likely caused by pollution such as chemical fertilizer ¡X
on Taihu Lake in eastern China contaminated water supplies for more than 2.3
million people in 2007.
Pollution by individual factories has also previously sparked protests in China.
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