A Ministry of Health official said on Thursday that safe
drinking water and stoves will be provided by 2006 for the 500,000
people living in arsenic-affected areas.
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By 2010, when the distribution map of arsenic poisoning is due to
be completed, all affected populations will have been provided safe
drinking and cooking facilities. Xiao Donglou, deputy director of
the ministry's disease control department, announced the timetable
at the Water Quality and Arsenic Mitigation international
conference held in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi
Province.
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Long-term consumption of arsenic, through water or air, can lead to
skin cancer and ultimately death. It was not until 1986 that
arsenicosis was first officially diagnosed in Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region. During the 1990s, cases were also found in Inner
Mongolia, Shanxi, Jilin, Qinghai, Ningxia and Liaoning, reaching a
current total of 10,000 people.
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Farmers, especially those in poverty-stricken rural areas, have
drilled tens of millions of medium to deep wells which often tap
into arsenic-rich sources, exposing them to chronic
poisoning.
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In Guizhou province, the disease has also been caused by burning
arsenic-rich coal for cooking, heating and drying local staple
foods such as corn and hot peppers.
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The government started to drill safe wells and equip old stoves
with chimneys in 2002. According to Xiao, 240 villages now have
safe wells and 2,896 households safe stoves.
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"China is making a significant difference," said Vanessa Tobin in
charge of water security from the New York headquarters of the UN's
Children's Fund (UNICEF).
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"The hardest problem is low awareness of the disease amongst local
people," said Xiao.
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Many times, medical workers have painted the hand-pumps of
arsenic-rich wells red to distinguish them from safe ones, but
villagers continue to use them after they have left.
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Xiao said the ministry plans to educate 85 percent of elementary
and middle school students and 70 percent of housewives about
arsenic poisoning.
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Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organization's representative to
China, suggested that local medical workers and village-level
officials should also receive training in preventative
measures.
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Christian Voumard, UNICEF's representative to China, said the
initiative should not forget children -- the group most vulnerable
to the disease.
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The Ministry of Health says that children account for one-fifth of
the total population affected by arsenic poisoning.
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According to Wang Sanxiang, head of Endemic Prevention Center of
Shanxi Province, excessive consumption of arsenic can damage
children's intellectual development and nervous systems. Even if
sources are immediately removed, children may still develop
learning disabilities years later.
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"Prevention is the only solution, as there is no cure," said
Tobin.
(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2004)