Polluting plant shut down

LONGCHANG, Sichuan - A polluting plant in this small county bordering Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality has been ordered to stop operation in the wake of a lead poisoning scandal, which has sickened 49 people.

Zhongyi Alloy Co Ltd in Zhoujiasi village in Longchang county, Sichuan province, was closed on Feb 26 after a villager found to have an excessive amount of lead in his blood reported to the county environmental protection bureau that he suspected the company was responsible, said deputy county magistrate Kang Houlin in an interview with China Daily.

Zhang Jiayou, who lives in the village, had a physical check-up in the hospital attached to the Luzhou Medical College in Luzhou in southern Sichuan on Feb 23.