NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4462760.stm

Toxic leak threat to Chinese city

The Chinese authorities have revealed massive pollution of a river which has caused water supplies to the northern city of Harbin to be cut off.

"Benzene levels were 108 times above national safety levels," said China's Environment Protection Administration.

The contamination followed an explosion at a chemical factory upstream of the Songhua river.

... (rest in URL).

This is bad, Harbin is a city of 4 million!

Give it up Jeru,

If it isn't the US doing something rotten, it isn't news to most of the posters on NS General.

Give it up Jeru,

If it isn't the US doing something rotten, it isn't news to most of the posters on NS General.

You mean this isn't a US conspiracy to make China bow down?! :eek:


More seriously, wtf. They're not bringing enough to last ONE day and it's supposed to last at least four?

More seriously, wtf. They're not bringing enough to last ONE day and it's supposed to last at least four?

Are there any industrial facilities in Harbin? If you shut those down and go to water rationing, you could possibly make it stretch some. The other question is where the heck they're going to get the water from. Doesn't China have clean water supply issues?

Are there any industrial facilities in Harbin? If you shut those down and go to water rationing, you could possibly make it stretch some. The other question is where the heck they're going to get the water from. Doesn't China have clean water supply issues? Don't they have supply issues in general? I imagine their organisation is hardly as thorough as post-Katrina FEMA.

Are there any industrial facilities in Harbin? If you shut those down and go to water rationing, you could possibly make it stretch some. The other question is where the heck they're going to get the water from. Doesn't China have clean water supply issues?

China isn't the best place for managing polution. Low priority to them, well until now. Big mess ...

Give it up Jeru,

If it isn't the US doing something rotten, it isn't news to most of the posters on NS General.


So if it was New York with no (clean) water, then it would be a problem?

So if it was New York with no (clean) water, then it would be a problem?

Yes, someone would post that it was Bush's fault. Makes headlines, you know.

A million people could suffer without water in China, and it's not a story unless you can blame it on Bush.

Yes, someone would post that it was Bush's fault. Makes headlines, you know.

A million people could suffer without water in China, and it's not a story unless you can blame it on Bush.


You wouldn't be saying that if it wasn't for that confounded Bush! It's all his fault!!

Yes, someone would post that it was Bush's fault. Makes headlines, you know.

A million people could suffer without water in China, and it's not a story unless you can blame it on Bush.

We could arrange that! :D
Find links to Bush to the factory. :)

China isn't the best place for managing polution. Low priority to them, well until now. Big mess ...

Lowest priority. Actually it is not even taken into consideration.

There are the stuff that we don't hear about when the commies spin their "peaceful rise" of the "middle kingdom".

We could arrange that! :D
Find links to Bush to the factory. :)
Well, Bush just visited China, so maybe he did something...

Lowest priority. Actually it is not even taken into consideration.

There are the stuff that we don't hear about when the commies spin their "peaceful rise" of the "middle kingdom".


In the old days, you died for Emperor. Now you die for the Communist State.
OH&S was never a priority in China.

From this
http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/news/benzene-exposure.html

Researchers compared 250 workers exposed to benzene-laden glues in two shoe factories in China to 140 workers who sewed clothes in other Chinese factories, but who never came into contact with benzene. Measuring the benzene exposure by taking urine and blood samples and testing air in the factories, as well as in each worker's home, scientists were surprised to find the low level of benzene exposure still affected white blood cell count.

I wouldn't be drinking the Harbin water. :eek:

Ouch, I know China has never been one for protecting human life at any time (mind you, this city is 'only' 0.4% of their population) but it's still bad.

Prayers going out now...

From this
http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/news/benzene-exposure.html

Researchers compared 250 workers exposed to benzene-laden glues in two shoe factories in China to 140 workers who sewed clothes in other Chinese factories, but who never came into contact with benzene. Measuring the benzene exposure by taking urine and blood samples and testing air in the factories, as well as in each worker's home, scientists were surprised to find the low level of benzene exposure still affected white blood cell count.

I wouldn't be drinking the Harbin water. :eek:

Levels below the limit still affect your WBC - it's just that statistically the risk of leukemia doesn't come into play until you go over the limit - or are chronically exposed.

If you remove the exposure, and weren't over the limit, and weren't exposed for a long time, your WBC returns to normal (usually).

Somehow I don't see the typical Chinese factory having the MSDS out there for everyone to read.

Don't they have supply issues in general? I imagine their organisation is hardly as thorough as post-Katrina FEMA.

You mean the same FEMA that generally let food stocks burn because they weren't up to par for consumption but were fine for soldiers? The same FEMA that bought space on luxury cruisers for housing the homeless at a cost of more than one and a half times the price of a world cruise per head?

I'm not saying the Chinese emergency services are any better, but FEMA isn't exactly a shining example of efficiency and thoroughness.

Either way, if they really wanted to though, I imagine that they could create a province wide rationing system to siphon it off as emergency supply. They may not have the best or most effective disaster management, but looking at how they dealt with floods (literally building walls with manpower by the banks and winning), I'd say they have the capability.

You mean the same FEMA that generally let food stocks burn because they weren't up to par for consumption but were fine for soldiers? The same FEMA that bought space on luxury cruisers for housing the homeless at a cost of more than one and a half times the price of a world cruise per head?

I'm not saying the Chinese emergency services are any better, but FEMA isn't exactly a shining example of efficiency and thoroughness.

Either way, if they really wanted to though, I imagine that they could create a province wide rationing system to siphon it off as emergency supply. They may not have the best or most effective disaster management, but looking at how they dealt with floods (literally building walls with manpower by the banks and winning), I'd say they have the capability. Congratulations on your utter inability to register sarcasm. :p

Congratulations on your utter inability to register sarcasm. :p

*shakes fist* These forums need a sarcasm smilie.