2012 Guangxi cadmium spill
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The 2012 Guangxi cadmium spill (广西镉污染事件) occurred in early January when toxic cadmium contaminated the
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
Longjiang river (龙江河) and water supply.


Incident

Hechi authorities estimated that more than 40,000
kilogram The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...
s of fish were found dead from January 15 to February 2 within the city limits. The spill was caused by Jinhe Mining company (沿河兩岸工廠). The spill is estimated to be 80 times the official limit, according to regional government protection official Feng Zhennian. A toxic slick stretching more than 100 km along the Longjiang river reached the Nuomitan hydroelectric station, 57 km upstream from Liuzhou, with cadmium levels five times above the national standard. In one month 20 tonnes of toxic cadmium metals were spilled into the river.


Control

The government stopped supply of tap water to Liuzhou city, affecting 3.7 million residents.South China morning post. Media blasts officials over toxic river pollution. 1 Feb 2012. Seven company executives deemed responsible for the contamination were detained. Seven government officials were fired, including two punished for the spill. According to local government officials from the Xinhua News Agency, the pollution is under control after two weeks of cleanup. Shortly after the spill, residents of the city of Liuzhou emptied supermarkets of bottled water out of fear of contamination. Many scientists working on purification decided to return to the river, despite being hospitalized for contamination. More than 60% of cadmium content in the Longjiang River in Hechi, previously reported as five times higher than the restricted level, has been diluted and absorbed, according to experts. Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong are said to be unaffected. Chinese environmentalists are calling for a cadmium pollution fund to be set up to compensate for the long-term impact of the spill, according to state-run newspaper '' China Daily''. "These kinds of disasters make it obvious that this is the time to change, to push for more transparency," says
Ma Jun Ma Jun, may refer to: *Ma Jun (historian) (born 1953), Chinese historian. *Ma Jun (footballer) (born 1989), Chinese footballer. *Ma Jun (environmentalist) (born 1968), Chinese environmentalist. *Ma Jun (engineer) (born 1962), Chinese environmental ...
, a well-respected Chinese green activist and director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs.


See also

* Water pollution in China *
Fish kill The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...


References

{{coord missing, Guangxi 2012 disasters in China Environmental disasters in China Health disasters in China 2012 in the environment 2012 health disasters Guangxi Water pollution in China January 2012 events in China