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Around 2,000 farmers suffering from lead poisoning believe they have been contaminated by a local smelting plant.

About 900 farmers whose condition was confirmed by Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on Monday, are among the 2,000 from northwest China's Gansu Province who say they have been poisoned by pollution.

The farmers, of whom 373 are children, came from Gansu to test the lead content in their blood, according to Lou Zhongqiang, one of the farmers.

Lou and the others, who live in Shuiyang Township, Huixian County, believe that a lead ingot smelting plant is the source of the poison, said Lou in Xi'an on Wednesday.

Bai Zhiqiang, a farmer from Xinsi Village who has worked in the smelting plant for nine months, said the factory was a major polluter, releasing black smoke and dust.

Bai and his two children have all been poisoned.

He told that the lead plant is a private factory with some 300 employees, and produces lead ingots by heating lead powder, which finds its way into the surrounding environment.

The farmers' claim is supported by Xu Fuyuan, secretary of the township Party committee, who took the rural workers to Xi'an for medical tests.

"So many people were poisoned by lead that there must be a polluting source nearby, and the lead plant, located next to the township's Xinsi Village for 10 years, is believed to be the source," Xu said.

"A total of 2,000 villagers in the township were tested for lead poisoning at our local hospital."

Although the local environmental protection authority has investigated the case, the source of the poisoning has not yet been confirmed, Xu said.

According to a Huixian County government official, who declined to give his name, the smelting factory was ordered to stop production last month and ordered to relocate.

Besides closing the plant, the county government also decided to give financial support to the children who have been affected by lead poisoning, the official said.

According to the official, the local government has paid more than 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) for the farmers' treatment since late August.

"Our hospital first received the lead-poisoned farmers on August 22, and we have seen a totally of 900, of whom 42 per cent have been children from the age of 1-15," Cheng Shengquan, director of paediatrics at Xijing Hospital, told China Daily on Wednesday.

Lead poisoning is particularly harmful to children, causing dysplasia, a growth disorder, according to the doctor.

However, Cheng said the patients could be cured over time with proper treatment.

(China Daily September 7, 2006)