About 140 children and their teachers are in the hospital after
a sulfur dioxide discharge by a plant in southwest China's Guizhou Province, a local official said on
Tuesday.
A chemical plant, which produces triple super phosphate (TSP), a
chemical fertilizer, at the Xiaozhaiba Town of Xifeng County,
discharged a large amount of sulfur dioxide into the air on Monday
morning, said Huang Yonghui, executive deputy head of the
county.
The sulfur dioxide, a colorless and extremely irritating gas or
liquid which can affect the lungs and lead to breathing
difficulties, could not disperse quickly because of the heavy fog
at the time, said Huang.
As a result, five teachers and about 135 students from two
primary schools and a middle school reported respiratory problems
and were sent to a local hospital, Huang said.
An unspecified number of children and teachers were still
receiving treatment at the hospital, including six children in "a
serious, but not critical condition," he said.
He declined to give the exact number of the people still in the
hospital, saying many were quickly discharged.
Local authorities are carrying out further investigations into
the incident, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)