Blood lead level testing resumed amid public outcry
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E-mail Xinhua, March 29, 2012
Complaints, doubts and sarcasm about the event dominated major online forums, including the Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo, on Wednesday and Thursday. Many people suspected that Chenzhou authorities had deliberately canceled the blood lead level testing program to blind residents about lead poisoning in an effort to protect local industries.
Chenzhou, which has a population of 4.55 million and more than 1,000 smelting plants, is a leading non-ferrous metal base where excessive exploitation has caused serious pollution in recent years. In one of the latest scandals exposed in 2010, nearly 200 children were diagnosed with high blood lead levels.
A Chenzhou resident, who gave only her family name as Huang, said her 10-year-old son was among the victims in 2010, and he received several weeks of treatment.
"He never had a second test to check if his blood lead level had returned to normal," said Huang.
Over the past few months, she took her son to every major hospital in Chenzhou. Each time, they were told the test could not be done. "The doctors said their equipment was not working and no one knew when it would be fixed. They said the child should just drink more milk and eat more lean pork."
A statement provided by the local health bureau said only 663 people received blood lead level tests at the First People's Hospital in the first six months of last year.
This shows that demand for the test is not very high and there was no reason for the public to panic about potential lead poisoning, it said.
The figure was confirmed by the hospital.
The hospital ordered a new set of testing equipment but was still waiting for it to be delivered, said Xiong Bo, the hospital's vice president.
Meanwhile, the city has managed to borrow a set of equipment from the province's capital Wednesday. Hospital staff worked overnight to get it ready for testing Thursday.
City authorities set up a team to investigate the incident Wednesday night and vowed to penalize any party that has not done their work properly.
The non-ferrous metal industry is a major contributor to GDP growth in Chenzhou, a city with a mineral bonanza valued at 260 billion yuan (41.2 billion U.S. dollars). The city ranks first in China in tungsten, bismuth, molybdenum and amorphous graphite reserves.
Lead poisoning has been reported in many Chinese cities in the past two years and most victims have been children.
Excessive amounts of lead in the blood can damage the digestive, nervous and reproductive systems and cause stomachaches, anemia and convulsions.
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