Green Options » toxic chemical

Chinese Officials Sacked for Water Contamination

Elizabeth Balkan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:15:46 +0000

Following last week’s post on contamination of the water supply for the city of Yancheng, China, state-run media Xinhua News has released an update on the news item.

According to a government circular cited in the Xinhua article, seven officials responsible for water supervision have been punished and two have been removed from office for lacking oversight. The Mayor of the city has pledged to close over 10% of the city’s 317 chemical plants, on account of their proximity to a water source.

No additional information was released on whether any residents experienced poisoning as a result of the incident, or if there was any damage to the nearby wetland reserve.

For those who take little solace in yet another case of environmental negligence or political misconduct in China that results in a score of officials being excused from their jobs (in lieu of a hyperlink, try a google search for “Chinese official sacked”), there is a silver lining yet. The city has offered residents a month of free water to compensate for the inconveniene experienced by the temporary shut off. Pack your bags and head to Yancheng!

Toxic Chemical Spill in Chinese City Leaves Residents without Water

Elizabeth Balkan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:02:57 +0000

Authorities from China’s coastal city of Yancheng, in the province of Jiangsu, shut off water last Friday and restricted the supply for most of the weekend following citizen reports of foul smelling water. An estimated one million of the city’s 1.5 million residents were left without water due to what government identified as the presence of two variants of carbolic acid – carcinogen hydroxybenzene and phenol — in the city’s water supply.

The local government identified Biaoxin Chemical Company as the party responsible for the tainted water, which illegally discharged the toxic chemicals from its facility, said state media Xinhua news agency. Xinhua also reported that the plant has been shut down and its top executives arrested. Officials have not provided any additional information; and state media China Daily reports that no one has come forward with symptoms of poisoning have not been independently confirmed.

10 Ways To Avoid Toxic Plastic – BPA, Synthetic Estrogens and Your Child

mcmilker — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:54:06 +0000

Last week I wrote about a study that revealed interesting clues that may help us to understand why synthetic estrogens, including Bisphenol-A (BPA), found in many widely-used plastics, have a detrimental effect on a developing fetus.

BPA has been in the news recently; a New York Times article discusses Canada’s proposed ban, and parents have become more and more aware of the adverse effects of using baby bottles, pacifiers and soft rubber toys with their babies. But, the danger of synthetic estrogen can effect us all. So what can you do to avoid this toxin and provide a safe home for your family.?

Dr. Joesph Mercola, a well known osteopathic physician, author and natural health advocate has a few recommendations: