Eighty percent of children in a Northern China province have high levels of lead in their blood. Some 600 children tested with levels at 506 mcg. per decalititre of blood. This according to Chinese athorities is 10 times the limit by China standards.
A little side info, this is over 50 times the legal limit in the U.S. and the U.S. wants to make the current limit even less. A quick lesson on lead. Background levels of lead (that's what you could expect as an average with no high exposures) would be around 6 mcg. The exposure limits for adults working around is at 50 mcg and that's with protection. What does lead poisoning do? It causes brain and central nervous system damage as well as intestinal and kidney problems. This was the reason why they took lead out of gasoline. The dirt by your local road or highway is still contaminated even after all these years of no lead in gas.
Future Republicans
So it's legal for China to poison it's people with lead? You're funny and maybe I missed something but what does that have to do with Republicans?
ReplyDeleteThe primary effect from lead poisoning is BRAIN DAMAGE! Now you get it?
ReplyDelete(groan)...that was pretty easy to get, haha.
ReplyDeleteLead paint has been outlawed in this country for nearly 30 years (maybe a bit longer). However, Bush (and this is the ONLY thing I will say that he did the right thing on) before he left office signed legislation banning lead-content toys to be imported. Before that, no ban, and if one is led to think China doesn't give 2 shits about their own children, then one must wonder what do they think of ours?
So if all future republicans are going to be Chinese, that means all old style repubs won't be voting for them.
ReplyDeleteBee - I couldn't begin to tell you all the environmental laws Bush either ignored or changed for the worse. The Chinese have taken the republican ideology to heart. It's all about greed and what you can get away with for them. But maybe we should take a page from their punishment system. They execute people there for such crimes. Here you get a small fine and a slap on the wrist.
ReplyDeleteSo that explains the Republican bill now in Congress to provide lead soda in school vending machines.
ReplyDeleteremember last year all the poisoned Chinese pet food sent here
ReplyDeleteguess they had to do something with all the left over Friskies that we rejected
I guess when you've got over a billion people, you don't get that upset if a few million kids get severely damaged. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine what is causing concentrations that high, but it is public health disaster. I hope they're doing something about it, but won't hold my breath.