China investigates infected rice for cancer

Chinese authorities are investigating three rice mills in Hunan province, central China, after discovering the rice produced by these facilities contains industrial sandmium - a cancer-causing metal. letter last week.

According to a statement by the local government, three rice mills in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province were ordered to recall their products as well as stop all business operations.

Authorities collected stored rice samples in these facilities and sent them to the provincial product quality control agency for further investigation.

Local authorities say all of these rice mills are legal and all contaminated rice samples are purchased by farmers in the province.

A large-scale Chinese food safety inspection in the first quarter of 2013 also found that 44.4% of rice and rice-based products in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province contained sandmium content. exceeded the threshold, according to a statement dated May 16 by Guangdong Food and Drug Administration.

The governing body revealed that eight of the 18 rice batches and products made from rice had been poisoned by the cancer-producing industry. Part of the contaminated rice comes from Hengyang City in Hunan Province and Dongguan City in Guangdong Province. Rice and sandmi-containing rice products were found to be present in two university kitchens and two restaurants.

Experts believe that soil in some areas of rice production has been contaminated with heavy metals, leading to water pollution. Zhouzhou and Hengyang are two industrial cities located on the banks of the Xiangjiang River in Hunan Province.

Hou Yanlin - a land expert at China's Ministry of Agriculture said that the government needs to establish an early monitoring and warning system for soil contamination to calculate the scope and severity. weight of pollution. Mr. Hou also called for research to draft a law to control soil pollution.

Gao Shengda - General Secretary of the China Union of Environmental Pollution Industry also said that China needs to develop techniques for treating soil pollution as well as absorbing advanced technology of this type from abroad. .

Scientists warn that because some fertilizers and pesticides can pollute heavy metals, rice farmers need to reduce the use of such chemicals or avoid combining them.