A farm lady uses the river next to Kingboard Industrial park to water her crops. She unaware of the chemical KB is manufacturing or discharging. Resident farmers are concerned about the consistent pollution found in the nearby steams discharging from the from the factory. The vegetables produced from this village are considered toxic by the local consumers and therefore have a hard time to sell their produce.
Greenpeace collected and analysed 25 samples of wastewater
discharges and sediments from five industrial sites located
throughout the region.(2) A diverse range of hazardous chemicals
were found, including high levels of heavy metals such as
beryllium, copper and manganese. The latter is associated with
brain damage. The Greenpeace analysis also revealed the presence of
organic chemicals such as brominated flame retardants and
bisphenol-A. Hormone disrupting alkyl phenols - some of which are
listed in the EU priority hazardous substances list, were also
present. (3) A number of these hazardous substances are not yet
regulated in China.(4)
"'Made in China' products used by consumers worldwide are being
manufactured at a high cost to the Pearl River", said Edward Chan,
Campaign Manager, Greenpeace China. "If the results of our
sampling are any indication of what factories in general are doing
in China, then China's waters are in deep trouble."
Southern China's Pearl River Delta, known as the "world's
factory floor", accounted for nearly 30% of China's exports in
2007.(5) Samples from one of the sites, Kingboard Fogang, contained
beryllium at 25 times the levels allowed by local regulation.
Samples from Wing Fung Printed Circuit Board Ltd. contained copper
at 12 times the allowable limit. Both companies export to the
global markets.
China's poisoned Pearl
"What is very disturbing is that once released, it is almost
impossible to remove these hazardous substances from the
environment," stated Kevin Brigden, scientist at the Greenpeace
Research Laboratories. "These substances, which are associated with
a laundry list of health problems such as cancer, endocrine
disruption, kidney failure and impact to the nervous system,
pollute the environment and put people's health at risk."
Greenpeace is calling on industries to reduce and eliminate
their use of hazardous chemicals by replacing them with safe
alternatives. It calls upon government authorities to develop and
implement stringent regulation to restrict and eliminate the
release of hazardous chemicals, as top priority.
"China is paying a heavy price for its rapid industrialisation.
It is time that China's environmental regulations caught with the
pace of development," concluded Chan. "As climate change leads to a
rapid depletion of the world's water resources it is even more
important than ever that we stop poisoning our precious rivers,"
said Chan.
Contact information
Hans Xu, Media Officer for Foreign Correspondents, Greenpeace China: +86 13401098073
Edward Chan, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace China: +86 13925060410
Paul Johnston, Chief Scientist, Greenpeace Research Laboratories: +44 7813890492
Prajna Khanna, Communications Manager, Greenpeace International: +31 6212 96896
Notes to Editor
(1) For the full version of the Greenpeace report Poisoning the Pearl: An investigation into industrial water pollution in the Pearl River Delta, please refer to www.greenpeace.org/poisoningthepearl">http://www.greenpeace.org/poisoningthepearl">www.greenpeace.org/poisoningthepearl
(2) Sampled industrial facilities include:
[i]Kingboard (Fogang) Industrial Area (Fogang City, Guangdong Province)
[ii]Kingboard (Panyu Nansha) Industrial Area (Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province)
[iii]Wing Fung P.C. Board Co. Ltd (Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province)
[iv]Dongguan Cheongming Printing Co. Ltd (Dongguan City, Guangdong Province)
[v]Qingyuan Top Dragon Co. Ltd (Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province)
(3) Samples from Kingboard (Fogang) and Kingboard (Panyu Nasha) Industrial Areas contained brominated chemicals, including the hormone disrupting brominated flame retardant TBBPA. Hormone disrupting alkyl phenols, priority hazardous chemicals under EU legislation, were found in samples from Kingboard (Fogang) Industrial Area and Qingyuan Top Dragon Textile Co. Ltd. Phthalates, toxic to reproduction, were found in samples from Kingboard (Panyu Nansha) Industrial Area, Wing Fung P.C. Board Co. Ltd. and Dongguan Cheongming Printing Co. Ltd. Toxic dichloromethane and hormone disrupting bisphenol-A were found in some samples.
For more information on the detailed results, please refer to Brigden, K., Labunska, I., Santillo, D. & Johnston P. (2009): Hazardous chemical pollution of the Pearl River: Investigation of chemicals discharged with wastewaters from five industrial facilities in China, 2009. Greenpeace Research Laboratories Technical Note. www.greenpeace.org/haz-chem-prd-china">http://www.greenpeace.org/haz-chem-prd-china">www.greenpeace.org/haz-chem-prd-china
(4) Water regulation places heavy emphasis on conventional pollutants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids (SS) but far less so on hazardous chemicals. For more information on China’s current policies on industrial water pollution and their loopholes, please refer to Chapter 4 of the report Poisoning the Pearl.
(5) http://www.hktdc.com/info/mi/a/mpcn/en/1X06BUOU/1/Profiles-Of-China-Provinces-Cities-And-Industrial-Parks/GUANGDONG-PROVINCE.htm">http://www.hktdc.com/info/mi/a/mpcn/en/1X06BUOU/1/Profiles-Of-China-Provinces-Cities-And-Industrial-Parks/GUANGDONG-PROVINCE.htm">http://www.hktdc.com/info/mi/a/mpcn/en/1X06BUOU/1/Profiles-Of-China-Provinces-Cities-And-Industrial-Parks/GUANGDONG-PROVINCE.htm
For more information on the Pearl River Delta, please refer to Chapter 3 of the report Poisoning the Pearl.