Quotable

"The safety risk for PX (paraxylene), like other petrochemical products, is controllable. It's like when we bring our kids to the zoo; animals like tigers won't hurt visitors as long as they are locked inside the cage."

Cao Xianghong, a petrochemical expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, speaking at a recent forum on PX project development. By 2015, a total of 10 large-scale PX projects will be launched in China, but concern by the public about pollution from such projects has hindered the sector's development.