China conducts soil pollution survey

The government plans to conduct a nationwide soil pollution survey, the Ministry of Land and Resources said Wednesday. Soil samples will be collected at multiple depths in order to find both the natural condition of the soil and the impact that human activity has had on it, the ministry said. Samples taken at both deep and shallow depths will reveal how chemical elements have affected the soil, the ministry said. The ministry did not give a precise date for releasing the survey results. The ministry said previous investigations indicate that some regions are heavily polluted, particularly near the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Comparing the investigation results to survey results from 1994 and 1995 indicates that soil pollution is spreading to China's more densely populated eastern areas, the ministry said. A recent food safety scandal involving cadmum-tainted rice has stirred public concerns over worsening soil pollution. The public has asked authorities to issue oil pollution data, as well as detailed measures to handle the problem.