Beyond the darkened city skies and muddied
river water is one the of the world’s most polluted environments – all
accomplished by man. China boasts a population of 1.7 billion - the globe’s
largest - yet harmful contaminants still manage to find their way into the
lives of its citizens despite recent efforts to slow the growing trend.
For Luo JinZhi, a resident of Shuangqiao
village in Hunan Province, these troubling times of pollution has sent her to
the capital of Beijing to urge politicians to take action. Her village is the
victim of cadmium contamination through the Xiang River, which deviates from
the Liuyang River. In 2004 the Xianghe Chemical Factory opened just outside of
the river to produce zinc sulfate. The factory; however, started to produce indium
- without permission from the government - which creates cadmium as a
by-product. The events to follow had forced Luo JinZhi to reach out to
politicians in a notoriously corrupt and secretive government.
Four years after the factories opening in 2004,
Shuangqiao residents began to notice their saucepans changing color and their
drinking water to have a faint taste of rust. It was discovered that the
factory had been dumping their waste, containing heavy metals such as cadmium,
into the river at night. Shortly after this the factory was forced to close and
an investigation began where 500 villagers were found to have levels of cadmium
in their bodies. There were also four documented deaths with a determined cause
of cadmium poisoning. Luo JinZhi herself claims to know of an additional 26
deaths, though those are not confirmed. The pollution also continued after the
factory's closing. When it rained the leftover waste still laying outside would
flow into the river and deposit more cadmium. And even more troubling is that
Shuangqiao is only one of the thousands of villages that have heavy metal
pollution. Because of this, it is hard for someone like Luo JinZhi’s voice to
be heard. Although the government eventually offered $600 to those living near
the factory and $250 to those further away, this amount is not enough to
relocate and compensate for the effects cadmium poisoning may have had on their
lives. Though direct ingestion from the water is common, cadmium is also found
in the rice plants, vegetables, and mussels in the river. In a setting where
agriculture is the main source of income, contamination from a heavy metal can
be devastating.
Though the government is currently discussing
possible plans to rid Hunan Province of cadmium, such efforts have yet to work.
In 2012 after an attempted clean up, the soil still tested positive for cadmium
- in some instances it contained more than 300 times the amount deemed safe for
exposure. Disputes between politicians and villagers continue to escalate as
more and more of these cases arise. While debates are occurring regarding what
the best route to take is, pollution in China’s waterways show no sign of
stopping. Unfortunately, it may cost more lives until the nation is finally
able to come to a solution and help its citizens in need.
Sources:
http://medicine.med.nyu.edu/conditions-we-treat/conditions/cadmium-toxicity
http://www.uta.edu/ees/faculty/hu/assets/researchPDF/2011%20EP%20lead%20isotopes.pdf
http://commons.colgate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=student_showcase
http://www.admissions.cn/Schoolshow/images/20073276398.gif
http://e360.yale.edu/featurethe_soil_pollution_crisis_in_china_a_cleanup_presents_daunting_challenge/2786/
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20130622000041&cid=1105
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