A tin ore processing plant owned by Liuzhou China Tin has been closed after a tailings discharge resulted in arsenic poisoning of over 100 local villagers. China Daily reported today that 136 people in Xialuntun village in Guangxi had been treated for poisoning, but all have now been released from hospital. The incident occurred on 29 September, and was due to heavy rains causing the tin plant’s waste ponds to overflow into the local river, according to the Xinhua news agency. The local government has brought safe drinking water into the village and an enquiry into the incident is underway.
Liuzhou China Tin was due to commission an arsenic and sulphur treatment unit at its CheHe mineral processing plant this month. The company is China’s second largest integrated tin producer and produced 13,193 tonnes of refined tin in 2007, making it the seventh largest producer in the world. It was merged with five other local state-owned companies into Guangxi Nonferrous Metals Group in July this year.
