Pollution in China: China's hazardous exports

Mainichi Daily News
Feb 9, 2008

China has come under strong international criticism for its exports of products and foodstuffs found to contain toxic materials. The governments of many Western countries and Japan have demanded that Beijing take tougher steps to ensure product safety. With the Beijing Olympics coming up in August 2008, the Chinese government is eager to restore the tarnished image of products made in China.

In spring 2007, over 100 people died in Panama after taking cough syrup that was found to contain diethylene glycol that had been manufactured in China. Many dogs and cats in the United States and Canada also died after eating pet food made with ingredients imported from China. And toxic lead was detected in paint used in children's toys, leading to the large-scale recall of such toys. To allay the fears of American consumers concerned about tainted Chinese products, some products sold in US shops now carry a "China-free" label indicating that none of the ingredients are from China.

In Japan, residual pesticides were found in frozen spinach imported from China in 2002. This prompted the introduction of a "positive list" in May 2006 calling for stricter standards regarding agricultural chemicals. Between June 2006 and May 2007, detection of residual chemicals in violation of the Food Sanitation Law has resulted in 761 measures, including the disposal of the contaminated food items. A third of all such products were from China.

Even in China, concern about food safety is growing. This was prompted by a 2004 incident involving fake powdered milk in Fuyang, Anhui Province. Thirteen infants died since 2003 after drinking the contaminated milk. Also in 2004, 14 people died in Guangdong after drinking contaminated alcohol.

These incidents, though, are just the tip of the iceberg. They are caused by unscrupulous merchants who give overriding priority to profits and have no qualms about using illegal or counterfeit ingredients. In July 2007, an uproar erupted over allegations that cardboard had been used to make meat dumplings. This charge itself was later revealed to have been "faked" by a TV station, but the fact that many viewers fell for this story in itself is an indication of the strong concern people harbor about what they eat.

The Beijing government has outlined policies to address these problems and to win back the trust of the international community. In July 2007, China's State Council announced special provisions to strengthen the supervision and administration of safety standards covering foodstuffs and other products. And the following month a supervisory task force on product quality and food safety was established in the State Council, headed by Vice Premier Wu Yi. A nationwide campaign was launched, and a system of food and toy recalls was introduced.