The Xianghe Chemical Factory in China was closed after protests from local residents in the central Human Province. The plant had recently been the target of several widely-covered “mass-incidents” of violent protest. Nearly 1,000 protestors called for immediate closure of the plant last week.
The factory had produced industrial chemicals for the past six years. Autopsies of near-by villagers who had died earlier this summer indicated high levels of cadmium. Post-mortem testing found high internal cadmium levels in more than 500 of the almost 3,000 neighboring citizens.
The municipal Environment Protection Bureau was attacked by protestors. Six of the locals were arrested during the events and at least one was severely beaten by police.
The plant is reported to be closed “forever” following the outrage by locals and media coverage.
