SHANGHAI -
The government in eastern
Local authorities are
belatedly moving to curb pollution after
The manager of Taizhou Suqi
Storage Battery Co. was arrested in late March and three government officials
were suspended for neglecting to properly supervise the factory after tests
found many living near the facility had high levels of lead in their blood.
The statement Monday said
that investigation resulted in 74 people being detained in 56 cases that were
handed to police for possible prosecution.
Lead poisoning can damage
the nervous, muscular and reproductive systems. Children are particularly at
risk.
The poisonings in Taizhou were among many in
"All remediation will
be conducted according to strict discipline. Dismantling of illegal smelters
and small, unauthorized electroplating workshops will be conducted strictly
according to law," the statement cited Cai Xumin, a local official in charge of the Taizhou cleanup, as saying.
In Zhejiang's Deqing county, where 53 people were hospitalized after
tests in late April found high lead levels in the blood of 332 residents near a
factory making lead-acid motorcycle batteries, all three local factories were
ordered to stop production, said county public outreach official Ji Huibin.
The crackdown is aimed at
preventing and reducing contamination of the environment with toxins such as
lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and other heavy metals that have left much of
Thousands of children were
affected by lead poisoning in several provinces in 2009 and 2010 because they
lived near metal smelters or battery factories. Combined with scandals over
contaminated foods and milk, the issue has taken on urgency for government
leaders who have promised to deliver more sustainable, people-oriented economic
growth.
Manufacturers of lead-acid
batteries are a key target. An explosion in the use of electric scooters and
surging auto manufacturing have driven up demand for batteries, but mining,
smelting, making and disposal of the lead and the batteries have been poorly
regulated.
"It doesn't matter
what the reason is, companies and local officials must take responsibility for
failing to meet environmental standards," said a statement on the website
of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. "These situations are
completely avoidable."
Several major battery
manufacturers with shares traded in
Ultimately, the goal is to
reduce the number of manufacturers to about 300 from the current 1,700, the
financial newspaper China Business News said Monday.
The suspensions have driven
up prices for batteries already on the market as scooter makers rush to secure
supplies, while reducing demand for lead, it said.
Usually, people working in
the industry greet each other with the question, "How's production these
days?" said Huang He, sales manager for major battery maker
"These days, I'm
usually asked instead, 'Is your factory closed?'" Huang said.