Two medical agencies tested 287 children younger than 14 years of age for lead poisoning and found 121 of them had excessive levels of lead in their blood, the government of Shanghang county in Fujian province said in a statement late Saturday. An investigation was ongoing, it said.
The discovery of clusters of lead poisoning in recent weeks has sparked unrest and growing anger in China over public safety scandals in which children have been the main victims. The ruling Communist party is worried that mass protests will threaten the country's social stability and considers them a serious challenge to its grip on power.
Lead poisoning can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and cause high blood pressure and memory loss.
Control of hazardous chemicals is a chronic problem in China, where workshops and factories have sprung up all over the countryside. City officials usually have a vested interest in protecting local businesses, and public safety awareness is scant.
Decades of breakneck industrialization has left many areas polluted with chemicals and heavy metals where factories dumped waste and effluent with impunity.