Report: China pollution kills 750,000 a year
3 July 2007
A portion of a World Bank report that would have said that pollution causes some 750,000 premature deaths in China every year was removed under pressure from Beijing, citing fears of social unrest, the Financial Times reported. The report, which was compiled in cooperation with Chinese government ministries. Among other things, it tracked the number of people who die prematurely due to pollution in large cities. Bank advisers and Chinese officials said the State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Ministry of Health asked for calculations of premature deaths to be cut, saying they was too sensitive. According to World Bank research, 16 out of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China. Guo Xiaomin, a retired SEPA official who coordinated the Chinese research team, the information "could cause misunderstanding."
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