Cadmium Rice in China

[ngl2010]

Now even the rice is tainted with cadmium :faint:

[Dora1]

It’s due to the pollution. Everything that is grown there or processed there can’t escape. The pollution is everywhere in the air and water, covering most of china, maybe except those really really rural areas up in the mountains. Even if you grow your own food there, you can’t escape because you still need to use the water, or the underground water is already heavily tainted as it is.

And this is not a problem that can be solved in 3-5 years. They have been discharging industrial waste to the environment with total disregard for the last 20-30 years in pursuit for economic growth. Even if they stop adding new pollutants now (which is also impossible because the whole economy will collapse), it’s going to take 100s of years to clear whatever has been left behind from the last 20-30 years.
The price of growing the economy at all cost. Something that SG has to reflect and learn the lessons from China. We are also pursuing economic growth and tearing down buildings and rebuilding, digging everywhere, cutting down trees, and adding so many people at record speed. The gov is saying that they will try and balance out the social impact with economic growth - I hope it really materialises.
Ask the people in those "cancer villages" in China if economic growth means anything to them.

[janet88]

Is it because many things are now made in china...which cause all these pollution? Eggs can be fake, milk powder tainted...Chicken, duck, pigs, birds are also sick. All the weird kind of illnesses are originating from there...SARS and now the new virus.


So scary :nailbite:

[osim]

Dora1:

It's due to the pollution. Everything that is grown there or processed there can't escape. The pollution is everywhere in the air and water, covering most of china, maybe except those really really rural areas up in the mountains. Even if you grow your own food there, you can't escape because you still need to use the water, or the underground water is already heavily tainted as it is.

And this is not a problem that can be solved in 3-5 years. They have been discharging industrial waste to the environment with total disregard for the last 20-30 years in pursuit for economic growth. Even if they stop adding new pollutants now (which is also impossible because the whole economy will collapse), it's going to take 100s of years to clear whatever has been left behind from the last 20-30 years.
The price of growing the economy at all cost. Something that SG has to reflect and learn the lessons from China. We are also pursuing economic growth and tearing down buildings and rebuilding, digging everywhere, cutting down trees, and adding so many people at record speed. The gov is saying that they will try and balance out the social impact with economic growth - I hope it really materialises.
Ask the people in those \"cancer villages\" in China if economic growth means anything to them.

:goodpost:

This is sad and sickening but true...

[osim]

Nowadays, I buy only local, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thai vege. The only food stuff hard to stay away from there is canned food, Chinese herbs and tea. Basically, anything that goes into the body, just avoid those coming from there as far as possible.

[limlim]

Dora1:

And this is not a problem that can be solved in 3-5 years. They have been discharging industrial waste to the environment with total disregard for the last 20-30 years in pursuit for economic growth. Even if they stop adding new pollutants now (which is also impossible because the whole economy will collapse), it's going to take 100s of years to clear whatever has been left behind from the last 20-30 years.
The price of growing the economy at all cost. Something that SG has to reflect and learn the lessons from China. We are also pursuing economic growth and tearing down buildings and rebuilding, digging everywhere, cutting down trees, and adding so many people at record speed. The gov is saying that they will try and balance out the social impact with economic growth - I hope it really materialises.

It is not a problem of economic growth.

It is due to GREEDY unscrupulous businessman trying to cut costs and take short cuts, and the lack of control due to whatever reasons (like corruption etc..)

In Singapore (and most other countries), ALL industrial waste must be properly disposed of. Factories can required by law to separate chemical waste from general waste etc..

If companies were to follow rules strictly, pollution wouldn't have been a problem.

[Dora1]

Well, in the early days of China’s economic growth, there wasn’t even laws on environmental protection. The focus was just build more factories, more output, earn more money. Of cos, later on, when laws were introduced, nobody follows them because the focus is still on growing the economy, and because corruption allow the businessmen to get away with it.

Remember that rules are made by the gov, depending on what the focus of the gov is. It’s the same as SG. SG laws allow the gov the demolish buildings, cut trees etc to make way for new roads new buildings. But in some European countries, they would have laws to limit that. Laws of a country reflect the focus of that country. The only difference is that in SG if there are laws, they will be enforced.
Therefore, I still think we need to be careful about balancing economic growth and socio-environmental considerations.

[vinegar]

Dora1:

It's due to the pollution. Everything that is grown there or processed there can't escape. The pollution is everywhere in the air and water, covering most of china, maybe except those really really rural areas up in the mountains. Even if you grow your own food there, you can't escape because you still need to use the water, or the underground water is already heavily tainted as it is.

And this is not a problem that can be solved in 3-5 years. They have been discharging industrial waste to the environment with total disregard for the last 20-30 years in pursuit for economic growth. Even if they stop adding new pollutants now (which is also impossible because the whole economy will collapse), it's going to take 100s of years to clear whatever has been left behind from the last 20-30 years.
The price of growing the economy at all cost. Something that SG has to reflect and learn the lessons from China. We are also pursuing economic growth and tearing down buildings and rebuilding, digging everywhere, cutting down trees, and adding so many people at record speed. The gov is saying that they will try and balance out the social impact with economic growth - I hope it really materialises.
Ask the people in those \"cancer villages\" in China if economic growth means anything to them.

:goodpost:

[vinegar]

i notice China made food r on sales in ntuc…


now i worry these china ppl will bring their "anyhow do" culture to other countries.Notice they r everywhere from australia,nz,USA,south america,africa…etc…

[osim]

China is filling the earth with so much junk it’s choking mother earth to death. People just throw and throw away things made from there as they don’t last. It is pushing the standard and quality of products down due to it’s cheap labour and it is affecting people all over the world.


So many things made there are ‘half-baked’. They are clever in making things look good on the outside but it won’t last. Sometimes, you get so fed up you don’t even bother to go for an exchange. Repair and recycling is not cost effective anymore as they make it cheaper for you to buy a new one.

What goes around comes around. Perhaps, cadmium rice, melamine milk, cardboard bao are just some retribution. I hope at the end of the day, the business people there has better ethics and morals. You can’t totally depend on law, especially China, 山高皇帝远.