200 fear battery plant poisoning

SHANGHAI - At least 200 workers from a factory that produces batteries in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, have been sent to a local health department for further blood tests after an initial probe showed many had been exposed to lead poisoning.

Earlier this week, Changzhou Maternity and Child Care Hospital tested more than 100 of the workers from the Taiwan-invested HIM URA Battery Technology Co Ltd.

The hospital said at least 70 had high levels of lead in their blood. It found they had between 280 and 400 micrograms of lead per liter. The normal level is less than 100 micrograms.