NY Times: Toxins Are Part of Cost of Boom in China's Exports

[La_Serpiente]

Toxins Are Part of Cost of Boom in China's Exports

TAIZHOU, China — The first thing that struck Shen Yunxiang when he descended into the bowels of Hisun Pharmaceutical was the smell, or rather the lack of it. It was as if the sewage system had been scrubbed with ammonia, he said, leaving only a sickly sweet aroma strong enough to overpower the stench of human waste.

In less than a minute, though, he realized that the company had exposed him to something far more noxious than feces. He had been sent, unwittingly, to release chemical runoff that Hisun had collected haphazardly beneath the factory, possibly to avoid paying fees to dispose of toxic waste.

Mr. Shen's chest constricted. His breathing grew labored, his head faint. Then Feng Huaping, his brother-in-law and fellow migrant worker, who had climbed down first, gasped, "Grab my hand, get me out," before collapsing in a puddle of muck.

Mr. Shen was the lucky one. He emerged with migraines and lung congestion, and doctors are still trying to diagnose the illness that is causing them. Mr. Feng died that night. A third migrant worker, Tang Dejun, also died in Hisun's fetid plumbing after he was sent down to finish the job the next day.

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Toxins Are Part of Cost of Boom in China's Exports

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[CWebster]

1. All so you can afford to buy cheap goods at Wallmart

Appease the masses with affordable trickets to ward off class war.

[treepig]

2. this article provided no evidence that toxins were involved

in the deaths of these unfortunate workers (but i guess this example wouldn't be the first of sloppy journalism on the part of the ny times).

slightly tangentially, when toxins (which are toxic proteins) are genetically or molecularly engineered, they can be used for valuable medicinal purposes. probably botulinum toxin is the best known example - see:

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/095_bot.html

but even ricin is being adapted for purposes such as cancer therapy - see:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2837763.stm

in any event, if this type of application is really what the chinese are pursuing (which is doubtful), or whatever else is in the sewer - you'd think that maybe, just maybe, this type of abuse should be what the fda is concerned about when considering foreign pharmaceutical, not less expensive drugs from canada.