Number of children with lead poisoning in Shaanxi drops

The number of seriously ill children with lead poisoning has dropped in Fengxiang county of northwestern Shaanxi Province, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Those who had 250 mm of lead in each liter of blood, has decreased from 174 to less than 120, said He Zhifeng, deputy director of Fengxiang's education bureau.

Medical teams are providing door-to-door tests and treatment to every poisoned child, He said.

"Lead content in the children's blood is steadily dropping. Villagers and their children are no longer worried about lead poisoning," he added.

"Lead concentration in my child's blood was 336 mm per liter in August. It dropped to 280 mm per liter in the latest test two months later," said villager He Xing.

For the children who had to be hospitalized and missed classes, they will receive free after-class instructions once discharged, He Zhifeng said.

The construction of two residence communities is under way to relocate the 1,396 families who live in a 1,000-meter radius of a local smelting company, said a county government spokesman.

The residence community sited in the county seat will be completed before the Spring Festival on Feb. 14. The main construction of the other community called Zijinshan New Town will also be finished by then, the spokesman said.

The villagers can move to their new homes by the end of 2010, he added.

Local authorities reported on Aug. 7 that excessive lead was found in 138 children in two villages of Changqing Township of Fengxiang.

Villagers took to the streets on Aug. 17, demanding the closure of the smelter. The protests drew attention nationwide. Following blood tests found 815 had excessive blood-lead levels.

Source:Xinhua