China's heavy metal and chemical pollution worsening

A senior environmental policy official has warned the mainland faces an "extremely grave" environmental crisis that will only worsen as pollution increases and the health problems its causes come to light.

Wang Jinnan, a deputy director at the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, told a three-day conference at the Chinese University of Hong Kong that the country has not yet come to grips with the amount of toxins seeping into the ground, pollution that would linger for decades to come.

"China's pollution problem has yet to reach a peak," said Wang, whose institution helps draft policies for the Ministry of Environmental Protection. "While it is fair to say that some traditional pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide, have been put under control, other problems which pose even greater health risks to the public have yet to gain policymakers' attention."

Wang cited heavy metals and other hazardous chemicals that can accumulate in human bodies, causing cancer. Previously unknown chemical spills are still emerging at former industrial sites and some cities, as no clear mapping of such polluted sites has been worked out.

"The toxic chemicals are far more dangerous [than organic compounds]," Wang said on Friday. "So the country's environmental prospects are extremely grave."

The conference was held at Chinese University to discuss the successes and failures of four decades of environmental protection policies on the mainland, where citizens are becoming increasingly aware of pollution and its health risks.

In the wake of repeated dumping scandals and the emergence of cancer clusters around the nation, mainlanders have begun taking to the streets to protest AT big industrial projects, in some cases derailing them.