Chenzhou Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in central China's Hunan Province Saturday took in six more children sickened by lead poisoning.

That has brought the number of patients tested to have excessive levels of lead in their blood to 19, of whom, 18 are children below the age of 14, said a statement from the public health department of Chenzhou.

Except several individuals complaining of stomachaches, most of the sick children have not developed obvious symptoms, said Wang Feixiong, a doctor with the hospital.

The patients, with the oldest aged 64 years and youngest just 11 months, are mainly natives of two villages in Guiyang County, said the statement.

Wang said they had been applying traditional Chinese medicine to treat the lead poisoned patients, completed by supplementing vitamins and trace elements, so as to expedite discharge of lead in patients.

The incident happened in the wake of massive lead poisoning among children in Jiahe County, also in Chenzhou, in July last year. Health checks showed excessive levels of lead in the blood samples of 254 out of 397 children under age 14 living in three villages closest to the factories in Jiahe.

A company held responsible for discharging contamination and caused the poisoning had been shut down.

Chenzhou government has ordered thorough inspections over smelters and close those polluting.

Yuanshan Scrap Lead Recycle Plant in Guiyang County, which was held responsible for causing the latest lead poisoning cases, has been shut down.

Excessive amounts of lead in the body can harm the nervous and reproductive systems and cause high blood pressure and anemia. In severe cases, it can lead to convulsions, coma and even death.