Lead Pollution of Urban Children Raises AttentionThe increasingly serious lead pollution among China's urban children has caught the attention of a group of experts and officials, who gathered Thursday to discuss the issue.An April survey of 14,400 children in the southern city of Guangzhou showed that 83.2 percent of them carry in their bodies lead that is much higher than the normal standard. The problem was especially acute among children living in the city's working areas as well as in areas with big flow of traffic. Children are particularly vulnerable to the harms of lead pollution, the experts said. Studies indicated that lead contained in the air one meter above the ground is estimated to be 16 times more than that in the air 1.5 meters above the ground. Higher than normal amount of lead in the human body does harms to the central nerve system, causing mental retardation. The experts called on the public and government to pay more attention to lead pollution, which is becoming more serious as the country's economy steams ahead. |
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