More than 200 children in Kunming's Dongchuan district have been found to have unsafe levels of lead in their blood, the third major case of child lead poisoning in China this month.

During routine blood testing in Dongchuan's Tongdu county, more than 200 out of 1,000 children tested were found to have blood lead levels of more than 100 micrograms per liter.

Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. Blood lead levels of more than 100 micrograms per liter have been found to impede normal behavior and cognitive development in children under the age of six years.

Hospital management at Tongdu's Healthcare Center for Women and Children said that the high blood lead levels among children in the area were likely due to car exhaust. Some local parents dismissed the hospital explanation, saying that a nearby industrial park was to blame.

China Daily quoted a mother from Yingpan village (营盘村), where the industrial park, which has been in operation since 2004, is located:


Local environmental officials are investigating the source of the lead poisoning. Management of Yingpan's industrial park declined to discuss the lead poisonings with China Daily reporters, the paper said.

On August 13, the Wugang Manganese Smelting Plant in Hunan province was closed by local officials after more than 1,300 children living near the plant were found to have unsafe blood lead levels. Four days later on August 17, hundreds of villagers attacked a lead and zinc smelting facility in Changqing, Shaanxi province after 851 children were found to have high blood lead levels.

The three high-profile lead poisoning cases in the last month have put pressure on national and local officials to close facilities that do not meet basic environmental protection regulations. Some analysts have also suggested the lead poisoning scandal could lead to industry consolidation in addition to plant shutdowns.

The China Daily reported that the national environmental ministry ratified a new Implementation Plan on Controlling Heavy Metal Pollution, which is still waiting approval from the Cabinet-level State Council. The regulation prescribes better cooperation between government departments to avoid further pollution by heavy metal smelting industries.

Update: The Associated Press has information about a recent government study in which it was found that up to 60 percent of children in mining areas in Yunnan are suffering from lead poisoning.

This year's spring drought has left more than 140,000 Kunming residents with little access to drinking water, according to municipal water department officials. In response to the water shortage, the central and municipal governments have allocated three million yuan (US$438,500) in emergency funds to assist those affected.

Kunming water officials announced yesterday that 142,648 people and 53,391 head of livestock were suffering from the water shortage. The areas suffering the most include the rural counties of Dongchuan (东川), Luquan (禄劝), Songming (嵩明), Xundian (寻甸), Yiliang (宜良) and Fumin (富民).

Of the emergency funds, 2.3 million yuan will come from municipal funds, with the remaining 700,000 yuan coming from a massive central government fund for fighting the drought.

According to analysis by Kunming's meteorology bureau, only 15 millimeters of rain fell in the city in January – a mere fraction of normal rainfall for the month.

February was even worse, with the lowest rainfall since 1959. Recent arid conditions combined with strong winds have also led to higher evaporation rates, leading to the warmest first two months of the year that Kunming has ever recorded.

Meteorology bureau officials added that although the rains of the 5th and 6th of this month were welcome, they have had no obvious positive effects on the drought-affected counties.

Kunming's reputation as China's 'solar city' has been bolstered by a recently announced solar power plant project which will be the largest in Yunnan province upon completion.

Yunnan Dingxing New Energy Development Co Ltd (云南鼎兴新能源开发有限公司) announced that it will invest 4 billion yuan (US$580 million) in an amorphous silicon power plant and equipment manufacturing facility located approximately 150 kilometers north of downtown Kunming.

Work on the 1.3 square kilometer facility – which is expected to have an installed generation capacity of 360 megawatts upon completion – is expected to begin 'soon' according to a company press release.

Once finished, the new Dongchuan plant is expected to join a 3.7 billion yuan power plant project in Shilin to make Kunming one of China and Asia's largest solar power generation bases.