Patients at Hospital in China
22 July, 2017 
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Patients at Hospital in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Patient at Hospital in China
20 July, 2017 
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Patient at Hospital in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Herd of Sheep near Polluted Area in China
18 July, 2017 
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Herd of Sheep near Polluted Area in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Mining Wastewater in Corn Field in China
24 June, 2017 
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Mining Wastewater in Corn Field in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China
22 June, 2017 
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Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Lead-zinc Mining Tailing Pond in Hunan Province, China
08 August, 2016 
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Lead-zinc Mining Tailing Pond in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Polluted River in China
08 August, 2016 
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Polluted River in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Lead-zinc Mine Reserve in Hunan Province, China
08 August, 2016 
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Lead-zinc Mine Reserve in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Tailing Ponds of Taifeng Mining Company in Hunan Province, China
07 August, 2016 
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Tailing Ponds of Taifeng Mining Company in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Villager on Truck Transporting Ores in China
06 August, 2016 
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Villager on Truck Transporting Ores in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Village Chief with Appeal Application in China
06 August, 2016 
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Village Chief with Appeal Application in China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China
05 August, 2016 
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Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China
05 August, 2016 
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Taifeng Mining Company’s Ore Washing Plant in Hunan Province, China 
★★★★★★ (B) 
Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China
24 July, 2017 
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Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China
24 July, 2017 
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Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China
24 July, 2017 
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Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China
24 July, 2017 
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Funeral of Victim of Heavy Metal Pollution in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Girls' Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China
21 July, 2017 
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Girls' Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Girl's Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China
21 July, 2017 
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Girl's Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Patient Waiting for Treatment at Hospital in China
20 July, 2017 
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Patient Waiting for Treatment at Hospital in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Patients at Huayuan People's Hospital in China
20 July, 2017 
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Patients at Huayuan People's Hospital in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Groundwater Well in China
19 July, 2017 
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Groundwater Well in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Resident Shows Scar from Surgery in China
19 July, 2017 
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Resident Shows Scar from Surgery in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Corn Covered by Heavy Metal Dust in China
19 July, 2017 
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Corn Covered by Heavy Metal Dust in China 
★★★★ (E) 
Resident's Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China
18 July, 2017 
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Resident's Health Affected by Exposure to Heavy Metals in China 
★★★★ (E) 

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

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

Collection 
GP0STRBPR 
07/01/2016 
In May 2017, Greenpeace East Asia was informed about a case of severe soil pollution across five neighboring villages in 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 five 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.
These photographs show not only aerial views of the affected areas but also the severe health impacts on the local population. The images shed light on what has become a near-invisible crisis. 
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