leadpoisoned chinese children \denied care\
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Lead-poisoned Chinese children 'denied care'

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Lead-poisoned Chinese children 'denied care'

Hong Kong - AFP

Chinese officials in provinces with heavy industrial pollution are restricting access to lead testing or even falsifying test results, and denying children treatment, a US rights group said on Wednesday. Human Rights Watch accused officials in four provinces -- Henan, Yunnan, Shaanxi and Hunan -- of trying to cover up the extent of lead poisoning among local children, including limiting their access to blood tests. "Local authorities are ignoring the urgent and long-term health consequences of a generation of children continuously exposed to life-threatening levels of lead," said the study, entitled: "My Children Have Been Poisoned: A Public Health Crisis in Four Chinese Provinces." Excessive levels of lead in the blood are considered hazardous, particularly to children, who can experience stunted growth and mental retardation. "But there is not a real recognition of the fact that lead poisoning causes lifelong disability," Joe Amon, director of the group's health and human rights division, told a news briefing in Hong Kong. "This is creating a generation of kids... who will be less able to drive the economic growth that China is counting on." The report estimated that "hundreds of thousands" of children, mainly in poor rural villages with nearby factories, were suffering from lead poisoning. Despite Beijing's promises of reform, many local and provincial officials were conflicted over their mandate to drive economic growth while enforcing environmental standards on factories, Amon added. Rapid industrialisation over the past 30 years which has driven China's rise to become the number two economy has left it with some of the world's worst water and air pollution, stoking widespread environmental damage and public-health scares. HRW said test results were sometimes withheld from victims and their families, while children with high lead levels in their blood were denied care or simply instructed to eat "cleansing" foods such as apples, garlic, milk and eggs. "The bottom line is that lead (poisoning) cannot be addressed by garlic," Amon said. Family members and journalists seeking information about the problem are intimidated, harassed and ultimately silenced, the report added. Earlier this month, more than 600 people, including 103 children, in east China's Zhejiang province were found with high and sometimes dangerous levels of lead in their blood, according to local health authorities. The poisonings were linked to tinfoil processing plants in Shaoxing county and reportedly prompted protests on June 8 and 9, with villagers demanding that workshops violating health and environmental standards be shut down. In May, authorities in Zhejiang detained 74 people and suspended work at hundreds of factories after 172 people, including 53 children, fell ill due to lead. Nearly 1,000 children tested positive for lead poisoning in the central province of Henan in 2009 with local smelting plants found to be responsible. The Chinese government has enforced environmental regulations aimed at curbing pollution and protecting public health in recent years. But enforcement has been uneven and little has been done to reduce lead levels in villages that are already heavily contaminated, HRW said. According to Xinhua news agency, the government has pledged to crack down on the industry and ensure that those suffering from lead poisoning receive proper health care and subsidies.

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

leadpoisoned chinese children \denied care\ leadpoisoned chinese children \denied care\

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

leadpoisoned chinese children \denied care\ leadpoisoned chinese children \denied care\

 



GMT 11:25 2017 Wednesday ,13 December

Nobel prize winner's book turned down

GMT 05:47 2017 Thursday ,26 January

Dow hits 20,000 as Trump trade reignites

GMT 13:13 2017 Thursday ,02 November

Myanmar's Suu Kyi makes first visit

GMT 21:48 2012 Monday ,09 July

Clinton makes unannounced stop in Afghanistan

GMT 00:10 2017 Wednesday ,13 December

Children dead after Sanaa air strike

GMT 21:48 2017 Friday ,11 August

GCC condemns attacks on Saudi missions in Iran

GMT 01:24 2017 Friday ,08 December

US decision suspended for six months

GMT 08:41 2017 Saturday ,18 March

Sit-In to Protest Street Music Ban in Casablanca
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday