Benzene is a toxic, cancer-causing chemical which is damaging both during short and long-term exposure. As the slick travelled downstream dead fish washed up on the banks and authorities in the city of Harbin shut off water supplies sourced from the river to the 3.8 million residents. First it was claimed it was regular maintenance, but authorities later admitted water was shut off due to the scale of the pollution heading for the city. Levels of pollution in the river have been measured at 108 times the 'safe' limit according to the Chinese environmental watchdog. It took 9 days for the Chinese authorities to admit that water in the area may have been contaminated by the accident. The true extent of the pollution from the explosion and leak may never be known.

Residents of Harbin have been forced to rely on bottled water until the chemical slick clears the city. But further downstream where the river flows into Russia the city of Khabarovsk is on high alert for the arrival of the polluted water in the city.

While the acute effects of the toxic slick may dissipate with further dilution, the ecology of the river may take a long time to recover and if any benzene has seeped into groundwater it will cause long-term pollution.
Dirty water for 300 million

Across China water pollution is a growing problem. About 70 percent of China's rivers and lakes are polluted due to industrial pollution and lack of waste treatment plants. About 300 million people are forced to rely on polluted water supplies.

The environmental health of China is at risk from the short-term rush for economic growth. Like wise the environmental health of the planet is at risk from the rush for short-term financial gains.