Many sick after chemical leak poisons water supply
25 January 2008
Government officials in Hunan have acknowledged that a leak from a chemical factory has poisoned residents of Chenxi county, AFP reported. The government numbers stand in contrast to reports that more than 1,000 people had been poisoned, and that at least one person died. The chemical leak was discovered at the Xiaoping chemical plant in the town of Banqiao, after a series of villagers falling ill prompted the local government to test water supplies. Test results showed water to be contaminated with toxic substances including arsenic and tantalum. In November 2005, an explosion at a benzene plant in nothern China contaminated the Songhua river, leading the government to suspend water supplies to cities including Harbin.