The revelation that Luliang Chemical Industry has been dumping carcinogenic industrial chemicals into a Yunan reservoir is just the latest in a long list of recent toxic cover-ups, spillages and leakages. Here are some of the most significant from the EO's archive and that of business website Caixin.

Tranlsated by Li Meng

Aug.2011 Luliang Chemical Industry Co.,Ltd. in Qujing city of Yunnan province, which is involved in the illegal dumping of 5,222 tons of chromium residue, was found to be storing another 140,000 tons of untreated chromium residue in open air less than 10 meters away from river bank.

The first cases of illegal dumping were later blamed on a transport company that had been contracted to take the residue to neighboring Guizhou province for safe disposal. Instead, in order to save money, the drivers dumped the waste at three sites on route, poisoning 77 livestock in a nearby village.

Original Articles: [ EO Chinese; Chinese 2; Other Chinese 3]

See also: China Dialogue  On Yunnan\'s Chromium Trail

Aug.2011 Hundreds of people in Jiangxi province were poisoned by water pollution. The contamination was caused by a water pipe breakage due to corrosion. Industrial waste water, illegally discharged by a smelting company, had seeped through soil to the water pipe and further led to the corrosion. 

Original Article: [Chinese]

July. 2011 An ammonia leakage at a food company in Wuhan resulted in 2 hectares of surrounding farmland being polluted .

Original Article: [Chinese]

Jul. 2011 Tailing residue from an electrolytic manganese factory in Sichuan province were washed to a river by flood. The drinking water supply of 500,000 residents of the river basin was severely affected.

Original Article: [Chinese]

May. 2011 A Chlorine leakage occurred at a chemical plant in Jiangsu province. 56 workers exposed to the toxic gas were hospitalized.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Jul. 2010 9,100 cubic meters of waste water leakage from a mining company led to the death of tens of thousands of fish died and threatened millions of people's access to drinking water.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Feb. 2009 A waterworks plant in Jiangsu province was polluted by phenols, 200,000 city residents experienced a 66-hour water cut.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Mar. 2008 Drinking water at a village in Guangzhou city was contaminated by industrial waste water and 41 villagers were poisoned due to the excessive nitrite level in the water.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Dec.2007 A sulfuric acid plant in Guizhou province discharged large amounts of acidic waste water to the upper reach of a river. Ten cases of mild poisoning were reported and caused difficulties of water use for 20 thousand villagers living along the river.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Sep. 2006 A river in Hunan province serving as a main source of drinking water for 80 thousand residents was polluted. The arsenic detected in the river was 10 times the standard.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Apr. 2006 A company in Guangdong province was disclosed for illegal pollutant discharge, which prompted river contamination and posed threats to drinking water supply for 40 thousand residents.

Original Article: [Chinese]

Nov. 2005 An explosion at a chemical plant in Jilin province sent a slick of toxic benzene 80km long into the Songhua River and caused a 4-day water cut in Harbin city.

Original Article: [Chinese]