Tucked away on a mountain slope in a remote area, the factory has for a long time been a major source of pollution in the village where it is located, posing a serious threat to both public health and the environment.

The river spill accident occurred last Wednesday when a lorry carrying 20 tons of arsenic was stopped during a routine inspection en route to Guangdong Province. The vehicle jackknifed as the police were about to escort it to the police station.

The accident was not the first toxic leak in the region. "In 1990 arsenic was leaked into our contracted farming field," said a villager called Pang, adding: "Since then, the field had been set aside for five years."

Other complaints concern thick smoke, which causes irritation when inhaled, which billows daily from the factory’s large chimney, Information Times reported. Some villagers report skin disorders and complain of itching and soreness if their skin comes into contact with powder residue often to be found on trees in the area.

An expert said exposure to arsenic can cause skin ulcers and conditions similar to those complained about by the villagers and may ultimately cause skin cancer.

Despite a number of protests against the factory, none have so far yielded any satisfactory results, according to the newspaper. The current owner, a native of neighbouring Hunan Province, has offered some compensation to the villagers, but has only paid out half that promised, villagers told the paper.

Chen Jianqiang, acting head of the county, said that the factory had first opened in 1982, with local government approval. It was ordered to halt production because of the serious pollution emanating from it.

But despite the ban, a businessman, identified only as Li, took over last October.

Exactly how long the factory has been producing arsenic over the past 20 years has yet to be officially established.

According to a 60-year-old man called Wu, who identified himself as the factory gatekeeper, the manufacture of arsenic had continued right up until the latest river spillage accident last Wednesday. That morning alone, 200 tons of arsenic was produced.

(China Daily December 17, 2002)