One Tenth of China's Farmland Polluted With Heavy Metals 412
eldavojohn writes "A report form China's Environmental Ministry reveals that one tenth of China's 1.22 million square kilometers of farmland are polluted with heavy metals and other toxins. The AFP lists 'lead, mercury and cancer-causing cadmium' and points to the rapid pace of China's industrialization as well as factories and their operators flouting regulations and laws. Cheap batteries and lead refineries are slowly turning China into a land where whole villages are poisoned (11 incidents so far this year). According to Human Rights Watch the government's response to this scourge is laughable. The poisoned are denied treatment and China's Environmental Ministry offers no possible help: 'The report documents how local authorities in contaminated areas have imposed arbitrary limits on access to blood lead testing, for example by permitting only people living within a small radius of a factory to be tested. When tests are conducted, results have often been contradictory or have been withheld from victims and their families. And children with elevated blood lead levels who require treatment according to national guidelines have been denied care or told simply to eat certain foods, including apples, garlic, milk, and eggs.'"
It was that way in the U.S. in the late 80's (Score:5, Funny)
Heavy metal was everywhere back then.
If you need to get rid of it, just bring in some grunge and hip-hop groups.
Re:It was that way in the U.S. in the late 80's (Score:5, Funny)
Heavy metal was everywhere back then.
If you need to get rid of it, just bring in some grunge and hip-hop groups.
The cure was worse than the disease!
Re:It was that way in the U.S. in the late 80's (Score:5, Funny)
Re:More like a repeat of Eastern Europe (Score:5, Funny)
Removing regulations may have a positive impact in the short term (may, I have yet to see proof of this)
You don't need proof, it's common-sense that they would have a positive impact. Removing regulations would allow corporations to save money on their bottom line, and then give giant bonuses to their executives. This is a positive impact. Are you one of those OWS hippies that thinks corporate executives shouldn't get $100million bonuses, even if it means poisoning everyone else? That's unAmerican. The only people who matter are the top 1%; everyone else needs to worship them and sacrifice so they can have more, it's the American Way.