Hundreds of residents near a Chinese chemical plant have been found to have high levels of a dangerous metal in their bodies, after a series of leaks.
Thirty-three of them were admitted to hospitals in Hunan province over the weekend with cadmium poisoning, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Production at the Changsha Xianghe plant in Liuyang stopped earlier this year, shortly before two people died.
Cadmium can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, nervous system and brain.
Compounds containing the highly toxic metal, which is used in batteries, are also carcinogenic.
Officials suspended
Medical tests were carried out on nearly 3,000 residents of Zhentou township over the weekend following a protest on Thursday, involving about 1,000 people.
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