Tailing Ponds of Taifeng Mining Company in Hunan Province, China

The large-scale tailing ponds owned by the Taifeng Mining Company, are located above the lead factory complex of Maoer township in Huayuan county. Its sewage and mine sand are discharged through the tunnel from the lead factory, resulting in an accumulation of the mineral sands in the ditches of the village nearby. As a result the water in this area is polluted and has a medicinal taste, and it also heavily pollutes the surrounding farmlands.

In original language:

航拍太丰矿业尾砂库

位于花垣县猫儿乡铅厂村上方的太丰矿业尾砂库，其污水、矿沙通过隧道从铅厂村排出，导致矿沙在村庄河沟的沉积，由此沙子、药味遍布水源、田地，严重污染了村民耕地。

Unique identifier: GP0STRBQ5

Type: Image

Shoot date: 07/08/2016

Locations: Asia, China, East Asia, Huayuan County, Hunan

Size: 3992px × 2992px 7MB

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

Containers

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Landscapes and Farmland in Lead and Zinc Mining Polluted Area in Hunan Province, China

Tuanjie, Biancheng, Longtan and Maoer are neighboring villages in Huayuan county, Xiangxi autonomous prefecture, Hunan province, China. Hunan is China’s largest rice producer, but the province’s fertile rice paddies are interspersed with heavy metal mines, a combination that has led to dangerously high levels of soil pollution.
Yet available information about the extent of soil pollution in Hunan is limited.
Two decades of lead and zinc mining in these villages has taken a major toll. The population of the villages, most of who are ethnically Miao, has experienced severe health impacts as a result of heavy metal exposure.
Eighty to 90 percent of the population in these five villages has kidney stones, and, each year, an average of 40 additional patients suffer from uremia, a complication of chronic kidney disease. In 2014, blood lead levels of all but one child tested in the villages exceeded the national standard.
In response, residents petitioned the local government and were seen blocking trucks heading to and from the mine to ask for compensation.
Greenpeace East Asia tested soil samples from the area. For the majority of samples, cadmium, arsenic, lead and zinc exceeded the national standard. Rice samples also tested above the national standard for chromium and lead, and, in several cases, arsenic. A more detailed breakdown of the results is available.

Related Collections:

Lead and Zinc Mine Tailing Ponds Surrounding Villages in Hunan Province, China

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