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<br />IIUJAk'll:)UNDAY, SEPT. 80 - OCT. I; 2006
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<br />
<br />A Poison Spreads
<br />Amid China's Boom
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<br />- .
<br />
<br />Danger~uily high levels of lead are discovered
<br />in many children; ground zero is Xinsi Village
<br />
<br />An Imported charm proves deadly In MInneapOlis
<br />
<br />~.
<br />
<br />B,y SIW OS'I'Q ADd JAMi: SPENCER
<br />
<br />D . . Xi",", CailUJ
<br />OCTORS TREATING a five-year-old boyatter a hOrrific electrical
<br />accident this spring were Surprised to lind another, equally serious
<br />problem: dangeroUSly elevated levels of lead in his blOOd.
<br />The incident WlCOvered one at China's worst known cases at lead poisoning.
<br />For a deCade, a tactory near Xinsi, an isolated village in the mOWltains at
<br />China's western Gansu province, maOe lead Ingots used in manufacturing
<br />
<br />color television tubes and cables
<br />shipped &roWld the. world.
<br />It also poured out poisoned air
<br />containing 800 times the permissi.
<br />ble level of lead emissions, olticials
<br />liay.
<br />Nearly everyone trom the village'
<br />who has been tested so tar-includ.
<br />ing some 250 children tram three
<br />schools-has been tOWld with unsafe
<br />amoWlts at lead in their bodies. Ten
<br />children' remain' hospitalized and ill
<br />least tour are likely to have severe
<br />brain damage in the Village at 1~800
<br />people, according to XInhua, China's.
<br />oClicial news agency.
<br />"There's not one person in this
<br />~lIag~_~itllout lead poisoni~g," says
<br />
<br />...-.. ... -.- -.--, -.- ---
<br />
<br />cern in children. Studies show even
<br />slightly elevated lead levels can 'lead
<br />to pennanent neurological damage
<br />andJeduced lQ. . .
<br />
<br />coming in at aU~ Parents ancl teacn.
<br />Please Turn 10 Page A6, Column 1
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<br />Continued From First Page
<br />ers say children are having memory and
<br />concentration problems.
<br />The'disaster shows how VUlnerable
<br />China's citizens are to the environmental
<br />damage inflicted by the country's rapid
<br />industrial growth. The result is a health
<br />crisis that could have lOng-term conse.
<br />quences for a generation of children.
<br />Even in wealthier areas at China such as
<br />Shanghal and Guangdong province, offi.
<br />cials say the deter:!orating environment
<br />is a tactor behind a rise in birth defects.
<br />A lack of pollution controls has co~.,
<br />taminated China's soil, water and Illr
<br />with leaO, mercury and other poUutants-
<br />and left millions of children with danger.
<br />ously high levels of toxic metals in their
<br />blood. Making matters worse, much of
<br />
<br />t'~ "'....~ ..."'........_..., _ _._
<br />The factory lies at the base of a sma!l
<br />creek, a stone's throw from the local pr~-
<br />mary school, and its smokestack doml'
<br />nates the cOWltryside. It is far from any
<br />lead-ore deposits or convenient transpor-
<br />tation. One local official said the factory
<br />was built in Xinsi instead .of clos~r ~o
<br />bigger cities to avoid scrutmy. Ch.l~a s
<br />environmental regulators and act1Vl~ts
<br />say it's increasingly common for heaVIly
<br />polluting industries to. ":love. to the COWl-
<br />tryside, where superVISion ts. w~ak.
<br />There are signs that the XinSI factory
<br />followed at least rudimentary safety pro-
<br />cedures with its own workers. many of
<br />.Uh"_ n..........." I..no..... nutc-il'lo tho ull1o;)O'D 'T'hp
<br />
<br />OFFICIALS ONLY started tak. ,
<br />. . ing the allegations Seri?USl~,af-.; .'~
<br />ter a local newspaper mXl an I"
<br />reported Sept. 5 about all the vii- I
<br />. /" ---^ M~;nrr in (or )Plltf tests. That story:
<br />
<br />'were' intenl1e4 tor calciwn. di.srupUng.
<br />brain circuits critical for learmng, and
<br />sometimeli Impeding cell growtll. The pr0-
<br />cess leads to irreversil>le intellectual Im-
<br />. painnent. Lead exposure is especially
<br />hannfuJ to children.
<br />..-. ..,:_-: -__1....._'... .........ant
<br />
<br />Shanghai and Guangdong province, offi-
<br />cials say the deteriorating environment
<br />is a factor behind a rise in birth defects.
<br />
<br />THE WALL' STREET JOURNAL:
<br />
<br />International he~th '''ag~ies. say I
<br />there's no effe~tive trea~eQt; for lel,ld'
<br />- exposure except in the most lite-thre8:ten./
<br />ing cases, when patients can be glv~n I
<br />. Qrugs caued chelation agents. tllat stnp I
<br />heavy' metals O!!t of the, body, But the,
<br />. drugs cannot re-:
<br />verse brain dam-
<br />age that has aJ.
<br />ready occurred,
<br />and they carry
<br />risks of their own .
<br />because they lWo
<br />strip useful metals
<br />from the bO<Iy, such
<br />as iron and zinc.
<br />Wu Wenchou, a
<br />bright-eyed 15-year- .
<br />old girl. IS oneaf .
<br />those who was poi-
<br />soned. Ms. Wu Wu Wenchou
<br />speaks standard-
<br />ized Mandarin-a clear mark of an educa-
<br />tion in a rural county where the local
<br />dialect dominates. "I used to dream of
<br />going abroad to study, maybe eve.n Amer.
<br />ica," she said quietly, barely h,olding ba.:;k
<br />tears. "My dream has been shattered.
<br />Once a class star, YOWlg Ms. ~u be.
<br />gan having diffiCulty concentratmg on
<br />her homework, and her test scores kept
<br />falling. Her once.proud mother shouted
<br />at her as her grades dropped. Her blood
<br />has lead levels of 261-more than double
<br />the standards for~afety.. She called her
<br />older sister, who is studymg at a nearby
<br />medical school, and told her to come
<br />home for the lead tests, too. "
<br />. "I'm afraid. We h~ve no choice, . s~e
<br />shrugged. "These are the facts, this IS
<br />
<br />reali ty. ..
<br />
<br />. Online Today: WSJ.com ~s~-
<br />ers can see photos from XmSI Vil-
<br />lage. at WSJ.com/OnllneTodar.
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