Xiao Jinmei is only 10 months old but already her parents can tell she is not developing at the expected rate. Her hair is still thin and she is a lot smaller than most children her age.

On July 28, they noticed she struggled to keep down her milk and immediately rushed her to hospital where she was diagnosed with lead poisoning.

A 7-year-old girl from Hengjiang village in Wugang, Hunan province, holds the results that show she has 227 mcg/l in her system.

She was just one of around 2,000 children found to have excessive levels of lead - more than 100 micrograms per liter of blood (mcg/l) - in their system during a recent series of scandals blamed on pollution from smelting plants.

Xiao's parents have lived beside Jinglian Manganese factory near the city of Wugang, Hunan province, since it opened last year.

"It has been a horrible experience for her and us," said father Xiao Aijun, 31, who said his daughter is now receiving treatment in Changsha, the provincial capital. "The authorities have not done their duty. They must do more to protect our health and safety."

Youngsters in Wugang were the first to be found suffering lead poisoning on July 31. Similar cases were then exposed on Aug 2 in towns and villages in Fengxiang county, Shaanxi province, and the city of Kunming, Yunnan province.

Around 160 children have received medical treatment at the local hospital in Fengxiang county, Shaanxi province, after they were found to have excessive lead levels.