From Shanghai Daily:
VILLAGER Liu Xiaoyan had every reason to knock the water ladle from the hands of her underage son who was ready to drink from it recently at their home: The well water had been tainted with lead.Residents of a village in Chaling County, Hunan Province, now only use the well water to wash their face and flush rest rooms. They carry drinking water from wells hundreds of meters away.
Lead poisoning was confirmed for more than 40 people in the Lixin Village after a blood test in a hospital in Beijing early this month, The Beijing News reported yesterday. Villagers have long complained of fatigue and other symptoms, while at the same time crop yields have dropped sharply, and once-plush fir trees on a nearby hill had died. [Full Text]