China's Ganzhou rare earth clean-up estimated at 38 billion yuan
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
A preliminary 2012 estimate by China's deputy minister of industry put the clean-up of rare earth pollution in Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan, covering 302 abandoned mines on about 97 km2. In Yichun, thallium in drinking water exceeded limits in November 2022 and lithium companies were investigated.
What happened
Chinese media reported in May 2012 that Deputy Minister of Industry Su Bo put the preliminary remediation cost of rare earth pollution in Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan.
The same statement cited Jiangxi's 2011 rare earth profit of 6.5 billion yuan and 302 abandoned mines covering about 97 km2.
Chinese media reported that in November 2022 thallium in Jinjiang drinking water in Yichun exceeded limits, and that lithium companies were investigated.
According to the same reporting, lepidolite processing yields 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of slag for every 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record The 2012 estimate is preliminary; no final remediation cost is given in the sources reviewed.
- Unclear Whether any clean-up has been carried out since 2012 is not stated.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: that the pollution moved to Myanmar; the sources reviewed do not confirm this for Ganzhou.
- None on record Thallium test results, sampling methods and the outcome of the lithium company investigation are not stated.
- None on record The lithium companies investigated in Yichun are not named in the sources reviewed.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
- 中外对话 (dialogue.earth)dialogue.earth · 2012
- 每日经济新闻每日经济新闻 · 2012-05-03
- 澎湃新闻澎湃新闻 · 2022-12
- 界面新闻界面新闻 · 2022-12