CHINA OIL LEAK AFFECTS 2.4M
More than 2.4 million people in a northwest China city were exposed to a carcinogenic chemical in drinking water after oil from a government-run company plant leaked into pipes that supplied potable water to the city.
Dangerous levels of Benzene, a colourless chemical used in making plastic and known to impair blood production, was found on Friday in drinking water taps in Lanzhou in northwest China’s Gansu province, triggering fear and panic-buying of bottled water among residents.
This is the latest in the number of pollution-related incidents across China that has triggered protests and led to clashes between citizens and local authorities.
On Saturday, a subsidiary of CNPC, China’s largest oil company, was blamed for the oil leak, a report in the official news agency, Xinhua reported.
“Crude oil leaked from a Lanzhou Petrochemical pipeline, poisoning the water source for a water plant, and bringing hazardous levels of benzene into the city’s tap water,” Xinhua quoted an environment official as saying.
Tests at a water plant on Friday had showed tap water contained 160 micrograms of benzene per litre, far in excess of the 10 micrograms per liter national limit. However, officials denied the possibility that the Yellow River, the original source of the water, was polluted.