Lanzhou rids pollutants off poisoned tap water in another district

Lanzhou city in northwest China's Gansu province ceased emergency water supply to Anning district at 5 p.m. Sunday, as the contaminated tap water was found safe there, according to the local government.

Crude oil leak from a petrochemical pipeline poisoned the water source for a local water plant and brought hazardous levels of benzene into the city's tap water on Friday morning, affecting 2.4 million people.

In Xigu district, the benzene levels were 4.12 micrograms per liter of water at 7 a.m. today. No benzene was detected in water samples in three other districts. China's national limit for benzene in tap water is 10 micrograms per liter.

Benzene is a colorless carcinogenic compound used to manufacture plastics. It could damage the human hematopoietic system which produces blood.