Dumped chemicals 'cleared'

WUHAN: All of the liquid chemical waste dumped into the Yangtze River in Hubei province on Sunday has been removed and no water plants have been contaminated, local environmental authorities said yesterday.

A nightshift worker at a porcelain factory in the town of Lanxi, Xishui county, witnessed 14 bucketfuls of waste being tipped into the river on Sunday night, the Hubei environmental protection bureau said.

The waste was found to contain trichloroacetic acid - which releases a poisonous gas when heated - ethyl benzoate and isopropyl naphthalene, it said.