More than 55 children living near a battery factory in Jiangsu Province's Dafeng city have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood. The local government has shut the factory responsible.
In Dafeng city's rural area, children who had excessive amounts of lead in their blood are receiving nonmedical treatment in their homes. Their parents say since the factory opened three years ago, children in the village seem to be malnourished and are constantly vomiting.
A mother of poisoned child said, "My child is not active as before. He always cries and says his waist and legs ache. We have to constantly massage him. "
Doctors recommend children whose lead content in their blood is higher than normal 100 miligrams per liter, but below 200 milligram, eat calcium-rich foods.
Ni Zhiyong, Vice Director of Dafeng Health Bureau, said, "The lead poisoning involves 55 children in two villages. We tested nearly 250 children. Of them, 46 have excessive lead exposure. 3 have what is being called as light poisoning. 6 have medium poisoning."
The local environment protection department says the battery factory is too close to the residential area. That is why the region's children have been exposed to lead. In addition, the factory enlarged its production capacity without receiving the approval to do so.
An official from environmental Protection Bureau, said, "The factory was originally approved to produce 500 thousand sets. But now it annually produces 1.3 million sets, two times what is was approved for."
The environmental protection department shut down the plant and fined the factory 50 thousands yuan. The local government is requesting the plant pay 500 thousands yuan in advance to the region's hospital as treatment fees for the 6 hospitalized children.
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