More than 600 people poisoned by lead in east China

Jun 12, 2011, 12:04 GMT

Beijing - More than 600 people, including 103 children, have been found to be suffering from lead poisoning in east China's Zhejiang province, the Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

The victims were workers, and some of their children, at 25 family-run tinfoil processing workshops in the township of Yangxunqiao, the report said, citing local health officials.

An estimated 26 adults and 103 children were found to have 'severe' poisoning - defined as more than 600 micrograms of lead per litre of blood for an adult, and more than 250 micrograms for a child.

About 494 adults had 'moderate' lead poisoning - defined as 400-600 micrograms of lead per litre of blood.

The natural level of lead in the blood is zero, and negative effects can occur in children whose blood has even less than 10 micrograms of lead per litre, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 2,500 people were employed in Yangxunqiao's nearly 200 tinfoil processing workshops.

The Yangxunqiao cases are the latest incidents of industrial metals poisoning in China in recent years.

Last month, 74 people were detained and production suspended at hundreds of battery factories in the same province after dozens of people suffered lead and cadmium poisoning.

Lead poisoning can result in anaemia, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal problems and brain damage. Symptoms usually appear over an extended period of time.