Act against metal poisoning now

The fact that Daxin county officials in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region did nothing to help farmers guard against contamination of soil by heavy metals despite several warnings shows that we need to establish a mechanism to protect people's health and livelihood, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Media reports say untreated wastewater and metals from a closed lead-zinc mine have contaminated nearby farmlands and caused serious illness, even disability, among villagers. Thanks to the reports, local authorities have now promised to start environmental pollution management and relocate the affected villagers soon.

In fact, as early as 1999 more than 200 villagers sued the mine, which was in operation then, and won the case. Also, local authorities have known that cadmium content in the rice grown locally far exceeds the national limit.