Causecast

by ASHISH SHARMA, Causecast Editor

In an ironic twist to China’s economic boom, hundreds of children have been poisoned by a lead factory in the Shaanxi province. After authorities confirmed that it was the pollution from the factory that led to the declining health of children in that region, villagers raided the factory. They tore down a 300-meter fence and destroyed coal trucks outside the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. Police clashed with the villagers, who were extremely upset that the plant had endangered their families. These recent events have brought up several concerns about the impact of pollution on the neighboring villages and environment.

Of the 731 children in the two neighboring villages, at least 615 have been diagnosed with high amounts of lead in their blood. Lead poisoning can affect every organ in the body, and exposure in children leads to learning disabilities and inhibits growth. One villager was worried about her son because he was very thin and had the height of a four year old, even though he was eight. It turns out that his blood contained 239 micrograms of lead per litre, almost five times the safe level. The cases are worse for the actual workers; one worker needed a transfusion after a liter of his blood contained 1,100 micrograms of lead. Air quality tests near the plant have also revealed high lead levels. Interestingly enough, officials have said that all waste discharge by the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. has met national standards. The local government is reluctant to close the factory because of its importance to the local economy.

The pollution by the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. brings up the bigger concern about the cost of economic prosperity. The local economy may be prospering, but the economic value should not take precedence over the welfare of the people. The point of industrialization is to make a better world for the next generation and give them more opportunities. However, the rate of pollution may prevent most of these children from taking advantage of these opportunities. That is where the ultimate irony lies; how does a community benefit from an establishment that is slowly killing its people and the planet?

Photo by Kenzoka [wish I had more time now…], flickr