Pearl River polluted by discharges: Report

GUANGZHOU: The Pearl River, China's third longest river, is being poisoned by industrial discharges due to inadequate water pollution regulation, according to a Greenpeace report released yesterday.

The international environment protection group collected and analyzed 25 samples of wastewater discharges and sediments from five industrial sites located in Guangdong province since February, and found that a diverse range of hazardous chemicals are being released into the Pearl River.

The samples included high levels of heavy metals such as beryllium, copper and manganese, which have been linked to brain damage, said Edward Chan, campaign manager of Greenpeace China.