Access

Published online 25 November 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news051121-15

News

Chinese cities face toxic spills

Explosions at chemical plants leave millions without clean water.

Following explosions at two chemical plants in China, large amounts of toxic compounds have leaked into rivers that supply local populations with drinking water.

On 23 November local authorities suspended the water supply for the 3 million residents of Harbin in northeast China after an explosion at the Jilin Petrochemical plant, more than 350 kilometres upstream, spilled about 100 tonnes of chemicals into the Songhua river more than a week earlier.

Comments

Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email redesign@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.