A top manager in northwest China's Gansu Province has been suspended from post after 266 workers with his company were found to have excessive cadmium levels in their blood, according to a statement issued by the company's board on Monday.

Cheng Lijun, the person in charge of production management at Gansu Baohui Industrial Group Co. Ltd. in Huixian county, has been suspended from his post, and others who are liable for the incident will be dealt with pending further investigation, said the statement.

The workers from the company's zinc smelting factory were all diagnosed since the first case was detected when a worker received medical treatment on Oct. 23, the local government said in a statement.

Currently, 71 workers are being treated at a local hospital, including one who was suspected of having cadmium poisoning, and the other 195 are being treated at home under the instructions of medical experts, it said.

An investigation showed that inadequate protective measures were to blame for the incident, it said.

Acute exposure to cadmium fumes may cause flu-like symptoms, including chills, fever and muscle aches. More severe exposure can cause tracheo-bronchitis, pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema.