Poisoned land creates ‘cancer villages’ in China
Chemicals ruined entire regions, government admits
BAIYIN CITY, China China admitted Friday that its failure to control the use of hazardous chemicals had inflicted severe environmental damage, turning whole regions toxic and creating “cancer villages.”
In a five-year plan outlining the challenges facing China’s environment, the government conceded that rampant economic growth and reckless pollution had wrought a devastating toll on its people.
“In recent years, toxic and hazardous chemical pollution has caused many environmental disasters, cutting off drinking water supplies, and even leading to severe health and social problems such as ‘ cancer villages,’” the document said.
Environmentalists have long campaigned for the government to recognize and help the hundreds of cancer clusters caused by poisoned soil, water or air.
Activists have suggested there may be as many as 400 such places nationwide, where toxic fumes and industrial waste have condemned villagers to a life of suffering and often death.
In several villages around Baiyin City, an industrial hub in northwest China, scientists have detected unusually high levels of lead, copper and cadmium in the ground and crops, and they say this may be the cause of a mysterious illness affecting hundreds of local farmers.
Residents who live along the East Dagou canal complain of ailments, including severe leg pains, and one farmer said sheep that had grazed on nearby hills had suddenly lost their teeth.
“Of course soil pollution is related to the pain we suffer,” said Wei Kongyin, 55, a resident of Minqin village.
He brandished a handful of dark earth. “Just look at the soil! It is black, brown and reddish-purple. It should be light yellow!”
As much as 10 per cent of farmland is polluted, according to some estimates, and China’s ministry of land and resources believes the total annual economic cost of contaminated grains alone is about $3 billion.
Experts say the problem is as severe as the issue of air pollution in cities.
“Air pollution is more apparent because every day we have the weather forecast. Air pollution is more frequently reported,” said Pan Genxing, a soil pollution expert from Nanjing’s Agricultural University.
“Soil pollution needs more attention. Soil receives pollution and stores it. It is very hard to detoxify it or remove it.”
The Chinese magazine Caixin echoed that verdict in a cover story entitled ‘ The unbearable weight of the soil’. The magazine argued: “Since ancient times, Chinese people have described the land as their mother. Now, mother is sick.”
Extraction of metals has taken place around Baiyin City for hundreds of years. Its name means silver.
Farmers trace the problems along the East Dagou canal to the 1960s, when at least one mining company began dumping toxic waste into the waters they used for irrigation. Wei, a local farmer, said people had often tasted the “black and brown” water before using it on their crops. “It would make our tongues so numb we could hardly speak,” he said. “The government said they would punish (those responsible) and compensate the villagers but we have yet to see a penny.”
Chinese scientists are dedicating more resources to the problem, studying “soil remediation” methods ranging from burning polluted soil to using chemicals or plants to absorb contaminants.
In 2011, Baiyin City unveiled a $1.5-million plan using “chemical treatments to absorb pollutants.” Locals suggested some progress was being made.
But Zhao Zhong, the founder of Green Camel Bell, a green group, predicted that the cleanup would take decades. “There are no fast solutions to the problem of land pollution,” he said, warning that a drive to develop western China risked causing further degradation.
Ma Jun, a leading environmentalist, described China’s admission as a “positive development”, saying: “Before there was always this tendency to play down or even cover up the issues.”