Arsenic Spill into Guangxi River

December 14, 2002

Several tons of arsenic were spilled into the Sanjiao River in Guangxi province when a truck carrying 100 cylinders of the chemical overturned in Jinxiu county, near Liuzhou city. Thirty-three cylinders fell into the river several burst open spilling the deadly and highly toxic chemical.

Emergency spill response teams dilute the arsenic with 50 tons of lime. They diverted a section of the Sanjiao River and managed to recover all the cylinders within two days of the accident. This time they were lucky as there were no casualties. China lacks proper regulations and enforce to the transportation of hazardous and toxic chemicals. Most municipalities do not have emergency spill response crews and those that do, often lack proper equipment and training.

Recycling of Batteries

September 7, 2002

Consumers may be required to pay deposits on batteries under a scheme to promote recycling. A deposit of US$0.003 (1/3 of a cent) for each battery would be refunded when they were returned for recycling.

China produces more than 18 billion batteries a year - about 30 per cent of global production - with household consumers accounting for about eight billion. Another possible measure would require battery manufacturers to pay a fee to environmental agencies for collecting and recycling used batteries.

Only two per cent of batteries used in the domestic market are recycled. Unrecycled batteries, which contain highly toxic substances such as cadmium, nickel, lead and acid, are usually dumped into landfills, with their toxins seeping into the water table.

Beijing and Shanghai have implemented battery recycling schemes, with recycling bins in shopping centers but have proved ineffective because of poor management and supervision.

WW II Munitions Waste Dumps

September 6, 2002

Japanese and Chinese specialists in chemical weapons disposal have been searching in Heilongjiang province for deadly chemical weapons left behind by Japan's Imperial Army after its 13-year occupation of northeastern China ended in 1945. Japanese officials say about 700,000 chemical weapons remain in China from the Japanese occupation.

Experts believe the site in Heilongjiang province may hold about 500 canisters of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and lewisite. The Chinese experts did not appear to have updated PPE during the investigation.

(Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Japan to Excavate Chemical Weapons Dumps

August 28, 2002

Japan will send a delegation to China to excavate wartime chemical weapons, including mustard gas and lewisite. The trip is part of ongoing efforts to clean up weapons left behind by Japan's army after its 13-year occupation of northeastern China before the end of World War II.
The abandoned arms include bombs, shells and lethal chemicals. About 700,000 chemical weapons remain. Specialists from the Foreign Ministry, the cabinet office and the Defense Agency, along with foreign experts, would try to recover 500 weapons during the expedition in Heilongjiang province's Sunwu county.

(Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Ammonia Spill Kills 13

July 9, 2002

Leaking ammonia killed at least 13 people at a chemical fertilizer factory in Shandong province. One worker died immediately and four more within two hours of the liquid ammonia spilling from a burst pipe at the plant in Shenxian county.

Police and firemen rescued 48 others, 11 of them seriously injured. An emergency doctor at a Shenxian hospital said more than 30 people had been treated there for ammonia poisoning.

Taiwan Firm to Dump Toxic Waste in Solomons

May 9, 2002

A Taiwanese company, Primeval Forest, has recieved permission to dump up to three million tons of industrial waste containing lead, mercury and arsenic at the Solomon Island. The Solomons, which is virtually bankrupt after three years of civil war, was also negotiating with the Taiwan Power Company to store nuclear waste.

Both the toxic and nuclear waste deals appear to violate regional treaties signed by the Solomons prohibiting the importation of such material. But the Solomons, which is one of the few nations in the world with diplomatic ties to Taiwan, is deeply in debt to Taipei, which has kept the economy going with loans.

The initial application from the Taiwan company, to the Solomons’ government, stated the material was humus and sediment materials. Later a risk assessment determined it was hazardous waste.

(Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)

China’s Chemical Spill Clean-up Techniques

May 9, 200

An oil spillof more than 400 tons has made its way into the Qishui River in Tongchuan, north of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. According to the Tongchuan Environment Protection Bureau the spill was controlled within 2 kilometers area of Qishui River next to the station. The cause of the accident may be due to the inner pressure of the oil tank which was too heavy.

More than 700 police, army officers and local residents dealt with the emergency. Four hours later, the national highway had been covered with sand and traffic was once again operating properly.

China will be need of more advanced chemical and petroleum spill response equipment and training as the number of chemical spill and traffic accidents involving hazardous materials is increasing.

Medical Waste in China

March 28, 2002

China is plagued by the improper disposal of medical waste and reuse of disposable syringes despite regulations governing their use and disposal. It is not uncommon to hear in the new about the seizure of large quantities used syringes destined for re-sale and reuse.

Under China’s Law on Solid Waste Pollution Prevention (1995) and Control, and The National Catalogue of Hazardous Wastes (1998), medical waste is regulated under category HW01. The health ministry requires all hospitals to destroy discarded syringes to prevent reuse and risk spreading blood-borne diseases. In 1999 SEPA promulgated the Pollution Control Standards for Hazardous Waste Incineration (GWKB2-1999). The regulations set limits on the incinerators operating temperature and the amount of emissions for dioxins, mercury and other compounds. This is the first time dioxin emissions limits have been established in China. The dioxin emissions limits are set at 0.5 ng/m 3.

As in the US, using incineration in China, as method of treating medical waste has been attracting more scrutiny, due to concerns of the emissions of dioxin and mercury and the disposal of the ash from incineration which is often toxic.

US Equipment with a Potential Market for Treating China’s Medical Wastes

Chemical disinfection and Mechanical Shredding
Reverse Polymerization
Plasma Arc Reduction
Autoclaving
Combination System
Microwave Disinfection System

US Hi-TechTrash Dumped in China

February 25, 2002

A recent investigation found thousand unskilled labors, including women and children, in China were recycling -smashing, burning, and pouring acid over computer components to scavenge anything of value, mostly precious metals. This is not uncommon among developing nations around the world, especially in Asia. The labors make about US$ 1.50 day. In there quest for making a living, they expose themselves and the environment, to numerous toxic substances often making the nearby waterways unusable for most purposes.

The authors of the report are hoping for more pressure on US to implement domestic recycling efforts. Under the Basel Convention of 1989, the transfers of hazardous wastes in this unregulated fashion are prohibited but the United States has not ratified it. A few PC makers and large retailers have launched recycling programs, requiring consumers to pay around US$30 and shipping to their old PC’s recycled. Overall, the US has no system for recycling electronics like Japan. Some estimates indicate that 50-80% per of the US electronic waste that was collected for recycling actually gets shipped out of the country.

Now the trend in the US appears to be moving towards making electronics manufacturers and consumers accountable for a product’s life cycle including disposal. Several consume groups and some state governments believe the cost for proper disposal/recycling should be added to the initial price to help fund proper recycling programs.

DC Consulting note; There maybe opportunities to establish a proper electronics recycling center in China to proper recycle and dispose of electronic wastes.

(Source Associated Press)