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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (5) Editor's Choice Mississippi floods could mean huge Gulf "dead zone" Kissinger, Huntsman: U.S., China need cyber detente Senate blocks measure ending ethanol subsidies Medical errors don't just happen at hospitals: study Winklevoss vs Facebook court clash lives on Consultant cuts growth outlook for electric cars Sleep position may affect stillbirth risk Comment: Can Twitter beat the stock market? Video: Leaking reactor scheme unveiled Slideshow: Tech watch Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Spelling mansion sold to Formula One heiress: report 1:25am EDT Data shows troubling mix of weakness, inflation 10:17am EDT Greeks strike and clash with police over austerity | 11:21am EDT Greeks rage on austerity, aid deal seen delayed 11:20am EDT Wall Street tumbles as eurozone woes pile up 11:50am EDT Discussed 129 Alabama governor signs nation’s toughest immigration law 111 Obama weighs new steps to boost jobs 67 Republicans to debate, with Romney the frontrunner Watched Airbus' view of flying in the future Mon, Jun 13 2011 Obama resigns from church Mon, Jun 2 2008 Bernanke's debt crisis warning 3:25am EDT China downplays risk to children from lead poisoning: report Tweet Share this Email Print Related News China warns outside nations to stay out of sea dispute 5:32am EDT Analysis & Opinion Defending Arianna Huffington from the shareholder value police China rejects U.N. claim on Tibetan monks’ disapperance Related Topics World » Health » A child holds a laboratory sheet showing high levels of lead in her blood at a village in Wugang, Hunan province August 18, 2009. Credit: Reuters/China Daily By Michael Martina BEIJING | Wed Jun 15, 2011 5:32am EDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese children suffering lead poisoning from polluting smelters and factories have been denied testing, effective treatment and even basic information by officials who downplayed health threats, a human rights advocacy group said on Wednesday. The report from Human Rights Watch comes after China's latest lead pollution outbreak, when 103 children and scores of adults were poisoned by tinfoil-making workshops in eastern Zhejiang province. Beijing has vowed to clean up this chronic pollution, but New York-based Human Rights Watch said those efforts only go so far in addressing the needs of hundreds of thousands of children it says are suffering from lead poisoning in China. Lead, especially harmful for children, can lead to learning difficulties and behavioral problems, and often parents who work at the plants bring home extra doses on their clothes and skin. "I want to know how sick my son is, but I can't trust the local test results," one mother from Hunan province in southern China told investigators, according to the report available on the Human Rights Watch website: (www.hrw.org). Citizens who complain about the problem face pressure, the rights watchdog said, citing dozens of interviews with parents in areas afflicted by pollution. "Parents, journalists, and community activists who dare to speak out about lead are detained, harassed, and ultimately silenced," Joe Amon, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement released with the report Rapid industrial growth in China has increased citizens' worries about their health, especially where towns and villages located next to poorly regulated factories and workshops have been stricken by pollution problems. China is the world's biggest consumer of refined lead, and battery making accounts for 70 percent of that consumption, which is likely to grow to 4.1 million tonnes in 2011. China's environment ministry has promised to tackle heavy metal poisoning as widespread cases have sparked public anger and protests. Three-quarters of lead-acid battery manufacturing plants in China could be phased out in the next two to three years, an industry body said last month. MISLEADING INFORMATION Despite those vows, leaders in Beijing have struggled to rein in local officials who put jobs and economic growth ahead of environmental protection. Based on 52 interviews, Human Rights Watch found that local governments denied the scope of potential poisoning and issued misleading information about the dangers of living close to polluting factories. Parents were often told that drinking milk or eating garlic and eggs was adequate treatment for lead poisoning, the advocacy group said. "The doctor told us all the children in this village have lead poisoning. Then they told us a few months later that all the children are healthy. They wouldn't let us see the results from the tests though," said a parent from Yunnan province quoted in the report. "The government doesn't want to have to give us anything so they make up the results," another parent from Henan province said. Lead poisoning can build up through regular exposure to small amounts, damaging the nervous and reproductive systems and kidneys, as well as causing high blood pressure and anemia. "In villages where lead exposure is highest, a generation of cognitively and physically disabled children will need significant and ongoing support," the report said. The group compared the corruption and cover-up of nationwide lead poisoning cases to the high-profile AIDS and SARs scandals that shattered international confidence in China's public health administration in the 1990s and early 2000s. "The response to lead poisoning has so far followed this same road, but it is not too late for the Chinese government to take a different approach," the report said. (Editing by Sanjeev Miglani) World Health Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (5) McBob08 wrote: If the Republicans manage to get rid of EPA regulation, that will be America in a few years, as heavy metal poisoning and a slew of other toxic exposures go unchecked by greedy Industry. Companies have proven that they will only come clean if there are forced to do so by the government. Protecting Americans from the ravages of capitalism is one of the most important functions of the government, because if they don’t regulate businesses, things will devolve back to the horrendous conditions and accidents typical of the East India Company Jun 15, 2011 5:46am EDT -- Report as abuse BCerentano wrote: That’s one of the reason “American” companies have flocked to China (the other being paying workers a few dollars a day). No sacrifice is too large in the name of Corporate Profits. Its time to get our jobs back. AmericanBoycott.com Jun 15, 2011 6:08am EDT -- Report as abuse JebJackson wrote: Pretty easy for us to report on and scowl about the Chinese Govt. for allowing such behavior… If it weren’t for the fact that we are funding it all, and at our own economic expense. However, there really is only one word to sum this up with: DISGUSTING. Disgusting to the whole thing, to all involved, and all of this to enrich just a handfull of sociopathic fat boys. Time to come to terms with reality, America. Jun 15, 2011 7:30am EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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