Heavy Metal Pollution Caused by a Chinese Mine

A Greenpeace East Asia (GPEA) investigation has found severe heavy metal pollution and serious health problems at Asia's largest zinc and lead mine and smelting plant in Jinding Town, Lanping County, Yunnan 

A zinc-lead mine in Yunnan linked to a deposed local cadre may have caused lead poisoning in local children, according to an investigation by Greenpeace.

The case only came to light when both the official and the ultimate owner of the mine, which was run by Yunnan Jinding Zinc, were removed from their positions as part of an anti-corruption investigation.

The mine, situated in the Nu River region of north-west Yunnan, is accused of polluting surrounding fields and rivers, causing lead poisoning in local children, a report from Greenpeace on June 8 said.

There is still no indication of how the legacy of pollution will be dealt with.

In April Greenpeace staff gathered soil and water samples from the mine in Lanping county, and submitted these to an independent third-party laboratory.

Many soil samples were found to have excess levels of heavy metals – cadmium was present at 142 times the permitted level, and lead at 8 times. The closer the source of the sample to Jinding Zinc’s smelter, the greater the pollution.

Water samples taken from the Bi River found high levels of cadmium and lead – up to 3.6 times and 15.7 times permitted levels, respectively.

The company recycles 70% of its waste water, but the remainder is treated then discharged into the Bi.

Public records show that the company was found to have breached rules on release of pollutants almost every year from 2009 to 2014 – only in 2012 was no breach recorded.

In the other years there was at least one report of a breach. In 2009 the company was punished by the provincial environmental authorities for building an illegal waste outlet to dump heavy metal-polluted water into the Bi – levels of cadmium were 887 times permitted levels.

Jinding Zinc was originally the Yunann Lanping Non-Ferrous Metals Co – the name was changed after control passed to the Sichuan Hongda Group in 2003. Hongda, controlled by Liu Han, has a 60% stake in the Lanping lead-zinc mine, giving it control of what is Asia’s biggest and the world’s fourth-biggest mine of its type.

Bai Enpei, former provincial Party secretary and vice-chair of the National People’s Congress Environment and Resources committee, had in the past been treated as an honoured guest by Liu Han.

In May 2014 Liu and 35 others were investigated for suspected links to organised crime. On February 2 Liu was sentenced to death for murder and organising, leading and participating in racketeering. Bai Enpei fell from power for grave disciplinary breaches.

Liu Han had been said to have links to the son of former Central Committee member Zhou Yongkang. On April 3 prosecutors charged Zhou with accepting bribes, abuse of power, and revealing state secrets.

It was after this that the pollution in Lanping came to light. Although the company’s business was affected by Liu Han’s troubles, it is still operating normally.

Source: The T hirdpole

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy

• Public Health
• Environment
• Pollution