|
|
Coal Fumes Said to Poison Millions of Chinese
Poor quality coal used for home cooking and heating is blamed for causing cancer, bone disease and other ailments in millions of Chinese peasants.
Start Date: 4/25/99
A report dated March 29, 1999 from the Associated Press says that millions of Chinese peasants are being poisoned by fumes from the raw coal they burn in their homes for cooking and heating. People in other developing nations may face similar risks, U.S. and Chinese scientists say.
An estimated 800 million of China's 1.2 billion people use coal in their homes. In many rural communities, the fuel is full of arsenic, lead, mercury, fluorine and other poisonous metals that can pose a serious health threat, the researchers said. The poisons become part of the smoke from burning coal and are then breathed into lungs and baked into foods, according to Harvey E. Belkin, who co-authored a study that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 30.
"The coal we saw in China could never be burned in the United States" because of the poison mineral content, said Belkin. In one Chinese province, experts have identified thousands of cases of arsenic poisoning, with symptoms including skin cancer and open sores. In another area, at least 10 million people have fluorine poisoning, with many suffering from soft and misshapen bones, said study co-author Robert B. Finkelman.
China has little oil, gas or wood that can be used for fuel, but it has the world's largest known reserves of coal. Many peasants can simply dig the coal out of nearby hillsides, free for the taking. They often burn the coal in unvented stoves, filling their homes with fumes, Belkin said.
As China continues its rapid economic growth, scientists studying global climate change also express deep concern about the increased burning of coal in Chinese industrial facilities and power plants.
 Excelsior, Michael Lindemann's new novel (written under the pen name Michael Paul), depicts a wholly plausible near future in which human cloning is both widespread and widely abused; terrorists have access to target-specific biological weapons; recreational space travel is commonplace; and mounting pressures of global climate change, environmental decline, population growth and civil unrest inspire radical new approaches to urban security.
|
Built by Frontier on a Macintosh on 6/17/00; 12:01:40 PM.
Web Comments  -
Produced by Larry Lowe
Served 1927 times since 4/25/99.
|
Millennium Fever Poses Challenges for Employers
The coming millennium brings with it a host of unusual new stresses in the workplace, driven by varied visions of apocalypse.
Global Aging Adds New Wrinkle to Population Problem
There are more old people alive today than ever before, putting new strains on social security and raising questions about the value of longevity itself.
Y2K Update: U.S. Navy Report Overplayed, But Many Y2K Problems Loom
Dire Y2K predictions in a recent U.S. Navy report are 'worst-case,' not 'probable,' Navy spokesmen say; but U.S. businesses are falling behind in Y2K preparation, and global recession seems increasingly likely.
Famine Puts Entire Generation of N. Koreans at Risk
Among the most dire consequences of the severe famine in North Korea is widespread malnutrition among very young children, who could grow up stunted or retarded as a result.
Amid Economic Woes, Japanese Brace For Millennium
Many people in Japan look to the millennium with foreboding; millions subscribe to the dire predictions of Nostradamus.
Chinese Government Worried About Huge 'Cult'
Millions of Chinese citizens practice the ancient health regimen called Qigong, but Chinese officials fear that some Qigong teachers may have too much political power.
Hungry North Koreans Trade Nuke Info for Potatoes
Famine-stricken North Korea has agreed to allow U.S. personnel to inspect a suspected nuclear facility in exchange for assistance with potato cultivation.
Y2K's Gentle Arrival Surprises Many Analysts
Y2K came in like a lamb as New Year's Day dawned almost free of problems around the world. Even optimists seemed pleasantly surprised.
Russia's Other Biggest Problem: Tuberculosis
A virulent, drug resistant strain of tuberculosis is spreading fast in Russia and is already showing up in other parts of the world, prompting fears of a global epidemic in the coming decade.
Beyond Kosovo: Peacemaking In a Post-Cold War Era
Armed conflict became radically more deadly during the 20th century, but the new millennium affords an opportunity to build the foundations of lasting global peace and security, says Michael Renner of the Worldwatch Institute.
|
|
