China closed its third plant this month due to environmental concerns. The toxic plant is believed to have caused over 1,300 cases of lead poisoning in children and was only shut down due to protests from angry parents. Earlier this month, another plant in Hunan was closed after it was linked to cadmium and indium poisoning. China has a bad track record of contamination from plants and even worse, of ignoring protests from the public. The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) released a report in March 2009 on environmental regulation of the steel industry in China. Here are some eye-opening facts:

Recent data show that one quarter of the particulate matter in the air in Los Angeles on some days originates in China. An economist serving in China’s Ministry of Commerce told The New York Times that, with respect to steel, “the shortfall of environmental protection is one of the main reasons why our exports are cheaper.” By putting industry first, unfortunately, the Chinese people suffer most from this pollution. According to World Bank researchers, China’s pollution causes as many as 750,000 premature deaths in China each year. Some 99 percent of the 540 million Chinese who live in urban areas breathe air that would be considered unsafe in Europe. Emissions of pollutants from steel mills, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, have significantly contributed to these problems. The Chinese steel industry accounts for between 10 and 15 percent of the country’s total production of wastewater, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide even though it accounts for only 3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

To read the full report click here.