Soil contamination in China

International media have commended the release, which revealed startling statistics such as one-fifth of arable land is polluted and contaminated with inorganic chemicals like cadmium, nickel and arsenic in China. Chronic exposure to cadmium can lead to kidney disease, skin lesions and skin cancer. However, the amount allocated to soil seems to be a drop in the bucket. Part of the reason for this discrepancy is the lack of public awareness about soil pollution, the Chinese are comparatively much more aware of the dangers of air and water pollution. However, depending on the survey results there are some major gaps. First, it should be noted that none of the raw data or full survey results were released to the public, and likely will not be. Second, careful attention should be paid to how exactly the statistics and findings are worded in the report. And the government can not access to the full raw data and results of the survey it will never solve the true issue.

By: Di Wang


http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2014/06/18/soil-pollution-in-china-still-a-state-secret-despite-recent-survey/