Toxic substances detected in south China river

Residents and water plants along Hejiang River in southern China have been warned against using its water after it was found to be polluted with toxic chemical substances.
An initial investigation suggests that pollutants thallium and cadmium have been detected in Hejiang River in Guangdong Province after that officials warned that the river's water is not fit for drinking.
Dead fish were found in a section of the river in Fengkai County yesterday after hazardous substances had been detected upstream in neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the local publicity department.
Sample examination indicated that the density of thallium was 0.00022 milligram per litre, or 1.2 times of the allowed maximum level, while the density of cadmium was 0.0034 milligram per litre, a level that makes the water second degree, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Both thallium and cadmium are toxic to human beings.
The county government has warned the local tap water plant and residents against taking water or eating aquatic products from the Hejiang River, a main tributary of Xijiang River.

Xijiang River is a trunk of the Pearl River which forms major water source for Guangdong and neighbouring Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
Life at Fengkai County remained largely undisturbed, although some residents began to store bottled water for fear of drinking water shortage, the report said.
It is estimated that 35,000 people in the townships along the Xijiang River would be affected.

No casualties have been reported in Guangdong or Guangxi so far.
The government of Guangxi has started an emergency response to ensure safe water supply along the Hejiang River and its downstream regions, the report said.