Xuanwei Power Station in China

Emissions and waste water from the state-owned Xuanwei Power Station in Xuanwei, Yunnan province, have greatly damaged local people’s health. High concentrations of nitrates in the water have been linked to high incidences of cancer in the area. The power plant’s coal ash disposal site is in Hongqiaopu village, about 3km away. The road between is heavily trafficked with huge trucks carrying coal ash to the dump, at a rate of about two to three trucks per every 10 minutes. The workers have absolutely no protective gear, leaving them in close contact with the hazardous fine particles of coal ash for long hours every day. The impact on their health is huge.