valve regulated lead acid battery China Lead Pollution Outbreak Poisons 103 Children

BEIJING-lead pollution at factories in eastern China has severely poisoned 103 children and affected hundreds of other residents in China's latest unrestricted industrial toxin case, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Pollution from tin paper
In the manufacturing workshop of Yangxun Bridge town, Zhejiang province, children aged 14 or under 14 years old contain 250 micrograms or more lead per liter of blood.
The report quoted local health officials as saying 26 other adults were found to be "severely lead poisoning, or more than 600 micrograms of lead per liter of blood ".
"Workers and their families, including children, are exposed to lead materials in their families frequently --
The report said, adding that more than a dozen children are being treated in hospital.
Nearly 500 other residents in the township were found to have "moderate" lead poisoning, with lead levels ranging from 400 to 600 micrograms per liter of blood.
This is the latest reported case of a pollution problem that has swept through many towns and villages in China, where residents often live in poorly regulated factories and workshops and compete for cheap production.
The growth of industry has made residents more and more worried about their health.
According to Xinhua, most of the workers in the tin foil factory are migrants from other poor areas in China.
Frequent exposure to a small amount of lead can lead to lead poisoning, damage to the nervous, reproductive systems and kidneys, and lead to high blood pressure and anemia.
Lead is particularly harmful to children and can lead to learning difficulties and behavioral problems.
China's environment ministry has called for urgent measures to deal with heavy metal poisoning, which has sparked widespread public anger.
Zhou Shengxian, minister of environmental protection, said in May: "preventing heavy metal pollution is related to the health of the people, especially children, and also to the harmony and stability of society . ".
But Beijing often fails to match the pledge to clean up polluters with the resources and political will to implement these requirements, as local officials put growth, income and employment ahead of environmental protection.
China is the world's largest consumer of refined lead, with battery consumption accounting for 70% of global consumption, likely to grow to 4.
1 million tons in 2011.
According to local news reports, dozens of people living near a large battery factory in Zhejiang province were found to have severe lead poisoning.
On 2009, protesters broke into a smelter that blamed more than 600 children for lead poisoning and smashed trucks and demolished fences before police stopped them.
In the face of increasing public concern, the government said it would combat lead pollution, especially in Zhejiang province, where there are many small manufacturers of batteries and other products that use the metal. About three-
Leading quarter
An industry agency said last month that China's acid battery manufacturing plant could be phased out in the next two to three years after Beijing launched a crackdown.
According to Xinhua News Agency, production was suspended in 25 workshops at Yang xun Bridge, the site of the latest pollution outbreak.
There are nearly 200 pieces of tin paper in this town.
According to the report, the manufacturing workshop employs more than 2,500 people in total.