Abstract - Greenpeace USA Danger Living An Investigation of Phosphogypsum Pollution in the Phosphate Fertilizer Industry, Sichuan Province China is the world’s largest phosphate

Abstract:

China is the world’s largest phosphate fertilizer producer. In its current state it is at serious overcapacity. By the end of 2011 this colossal phosphate fertilizer industry has left the country with 300 million tons of phosphogypsum, an industrial by-product that contains a variety of harmful chemicals. Such solid waste, which is large in quantity and difficult to be re-utilized, has been causing long-term pollution problems in Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei and other provinces, where the phosphate industry is concentrated. Beginning in May 2012, Greenpeace East Asia spent several months sampling and testing the phosphogypsum disposed by five large-scale phosphorus chemical enterprises in the cities of Shifang and Mianzhu, Sichuan Province. Laboratory test results show that all the sampled phosphogypsum leaching solution contains a variety of harmful chemical substances; more than a third of the phosphogypsum samples can be categorized as hazardous solid waste for their excessive fluoride levels; and the disposal and management of the slag heaps containing such hazardous solid waste fail to meet national standards. Greenpeace East Asia calls on relevant government departments to take immediate measures for more stringent control over phosphorus chemical pollutants, to reduce the excess capacity of the phosphate fertilizer industry.

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An Investigation of Phosphogypsum Pollution in the Phosphate Fertilizer Industry, Sichuan Province

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China’s phosphate fertilizer production bases are mostly distributed in phosphorite resource rich provinces like Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hubei Provinces, whose phosphate fertilizer production accounts for 71% of the national total by the end of 2011.4 Following Hubei, Yunnan and Guizhou, Sichuan has become China’s fourth largest phosphate ore production area and has established considerable presence in the country’s phosphate mining and fertilizer production market. Jinhe Phosphate Mine, Qingping Phosphate Mine and Tianchi Phosphate Mine, three major phosphate ore bases in Sichuan Longmenshan phosphate belt, are now producing one tenth of China’s phosphate ore. And while the region's phosphate mining and phosphate fertilizer production was hit hard by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake most of the production capacity has been restored. In 2010, Sichuan’s phosphate fertilizer production amounted to 954,000 tons (net), up 69.94% from 2009, in which the physical volume of ammonium phosphate was 1.925 million tons, up 46.45% from 2009. 5 By 2011, there would be 37 phosphate fertilizer manufacturers in Sichuan with a total production (net) of 910,000 tons of phosphate fertilizers, ranking fourth in China.6

1 Development Plan of Fertilizer Industry during the "12th Five-Year Plan" Period, Industry and Information Ministry, 2012, http://www.miit.gov.cn/n11293472/n11293832/n11293907/n11368223/14450266.html2 http://data.chyxx.com/201302/193933.html3 Reflection on the Current Layout Adjustment and Optimization of China’s Phosphate Fertilizer Industry, Phosphate Fertilizer and Compound Fertilizer, Gao Yuan, Zhang Sheng and Guo Dechun, 2011, 26 (2) 1-5

Phosphate fertilizer contains the nutritional elements phosphorus produced from phosphate ore. China is currently the world’s largest phosphate fertilizer producer. From 2001 to 2009, the total output of China’s phosphate fertilizer (P2O5) drastically increased from 7.394 million tons to 13.86 million tons, accounting for 41.7% of the world’s total. In 2010, China’s exports of phosphate fertilizer (P2O5) reached 2.65 million tons, accounting for 15.6% of its annual production.1 However, with the rapid development of the phosphate fertilizer industry, overcapacity has gradually emerged as a major problem. Although the Phosphate and Compound Fertilizer Industry 12th Five-Year Development Plan Guidelines states that the industry’s total production capacity needs to be controlled, in 2012 the country’s P2O5 output continued to total 19.959 million tons, registering a 36% growth from 2011.2 Earlier, by the end of 2009, major phosphate fertilizers, i.e. diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate, saw an overcapacity of more than 50%. 3

Yunnan Province

Guizhou ProvinceSichuan Province

01-024 Production and Consumption of China’s Phosphate Fertilizer Industry in 2011, Phosphate Fertilizer and Compound Fertilizer, Wu Xuemei, 2012,27 (4): 1-55 Rapid Development of Phosphatic Compound Fertilizer Industry in Sichuan, China’s Agricultural Resources , http://www.ampcn.com/news/detail/68270.asp6 China Industry Research Report Network, http://www.chinairr.org/data/D03/201203/22-95436.html

Phosphate fertilizer production in China and in Sichuan Province

Hubei province

Sichuan Province “十五”以来我国磷肥产量表（万吨P2O5)

!Data Source: Development plan on phosphate and compound fertilizer industry during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period

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China is the world’s largest phosphate fertilizer producer, and also the largest producer of the industry’s byproduct phosphogypsum. About five tons of phosphogypsum is produced from every one ton of produced phosphoric acid. In 2010 alone, China‘s phosphogypsum deposit increased by 69 million tons. By the end of 2010, China’s phosphogypsum deposit had totaled about 250 million tons, occupying an estimated land area of some 8,750 hectares. 8 It is estimated that China’s annual phosphogypsum output will reach 8,300 – 8,500 million tons in 2015. 9

Huge stacks of phosphogypsum — solid waste pollution of phosphate fertilizer industry

Phosphate fertilizer production is a high-polluting industry. Many of China’s phosphate fertilizer production bases are located in environmentally fragile areas. As production capacity of phosphate fertilizer industry continues to expand rapidly in recent years, the environmental pollution of the industry, in particular phosphogypsum pollution, becomes more and more prominent.

Phosphogypsum is the gypsum formed as a by-product of reacting phosphate ore (apatite,Ca5F(PO4)3) with inorganic acid (including sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid, mainly sulfuric acid), a process to turn phosphate ore into fertilizer with acid. a process reacting phosphate ore (apatite,Ca5F(PO4)3) with inorganic acid (including sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid, mainly sulfuric acid). Phosphogypsum commonly contains many harmful substances including fluoride, heavy metals and free acids, etc. Phosphogypsum stored in large stacks not only occupy large areas of land, but also bring with it many environmental risks. The harmful substances in phosphogypsum can cause pollution of groundwater and soil after rain, and when containing radioactive substances can even lead to radioactive contamination. 7 In addition to dust pollution, the stacks are prone to overflow and cause landslides during extreme rainfall.

In spite of the overcapacity of phosphate fertilizers, China continues to expand its phosphogypsum production. And while relevant government departments have put in place a number of policies in an attempt to improve the comprehensive utilization of phosphogypsum in recent years, the existing stockpiles and ever-increasing annual emissions make clear that end-of-pipe treatment cannot solve long-term problems.

7 He Yi, China’s Phosphogypsum Management, http://www.clcepa.org/zhuanti/lsg/hy.htm8 He Yi, China’s Phosphogypsum Management, http://www.clcepa.org/zhuanti/lsg/hy.htm9 http://www.clcepa.org/zhuanti/lsg/gyf.htm 03-04

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Name of Company

Company rofile Production CapacityLocation of Phosphogypsum Stack

Area Covered by Phosphogypsum Stack11

Table 1 . Basic facts about enterprises involved in the survey and their phosphogypsum slag heaps

05-06 10 http://www.clcepa.org/zhuanti/lsg/co2.htm

Research findings on phosphogypsum contamination in Sichuan Province

Sichuan province is the country’s fourth largest phosphate fertilizer producer. Most of its phosphate fertilizer enterprises are located in places like Mianzhu and Shifang along the Shitingjiang River and Mianyuan River in the Longmenshan region. This region is ecologically sensitive and densely populated. In 2010, Sichuan’s phosphate fertilizer industry produced 6.819 million tons of phosphogypsum. Only a very small part of the phosphogypsum has been used as building materials, cement additives, sulfuric acid and other products, while the vast majority is still being stored in stacks.10

In order to expose the impact of phosphogypsum on the local environment and lives of residents, Greenpeace East Asia made several trips to the region between May 2012 and January 2013, and probed into the phosphogypsum slag heaps of a number of large fertilizer producers and their neighboring communities. Two batches of phosphogypsum samples, one featuring old slag and one with new slag, taken in June and November respectively, were sent to a third-party laboratory for harmful substances analysis. The two batches included nine samples taken from six phosphogypsum stacks, belonging to five enterprises and the analysis on their leaching solution covered pH value, fluoride, total phosphorus, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and mercury (Hg). Basic facts about the enterprises involved in the survey and their phosphogypsum slag heaps are listed in table 1 and figure 1.

A: Sichuan Hongda Chemicals Co., ltd. 12

B&C: Sichuan Lomon Group 13

D: Ammonium Phosphate Plant, Sichuan Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd.14

E: Sichuan Jinhe Phosphorite Mine Chemical Company15

F: Sichuan Mianzhu Panlong Minerals Co., ltd.16

Private enterpriseParent company: Hongda Group Holdings (600,331), listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange A-share on December 20, 2001

Private enterprise

Private enterprise

State-owned enterprise

Private enterprise

Luoshui Township, by Shiting River

Slag heap B(Baiyi village, Jiangsu Industrial Park, Xiaode Township, Mianzhu City) Slag heap C (Near Lomon Titanium, Xinshi Development Zone, Mianzhu City)

Chuanxindian Producion Area, Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd., Jinhua Township, Shifang City

The Tingjiang Village, Shuangsheng Town, Shifang City

Gongxing Industrial Development Park, Mianzhu City

32.9 hectares, with a perimeter of 4.45 km


16 hectares, with a perimeter of 1.6 km

18 hectares, with a perimeter of 3.1 km



The company produces 1.5 million tons of phosphate products every year, ranking seventh in China for the industry. The company owns famed Chinese brand “Yunding”.

The company has two major industrial bases in Deyang and Xiangyang, with a total annual capacity of 1 million tons of ammonium phosphate fertilizer and 10,000 tons of industrial ammonium phosphate. The company’s “Mang” brand is a name brand in China.

The company has an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of agricultural monoammonium phosphate, 30,000 tons of industrial monoammonium phosphate, 100,000 tons of soluble thio-based fertilizer, and 250,000 tons of compound fertilizers. The company’s “Yunhe” brand is a name brand in China.

Annual output:60,000 tons of ammonium phosphate

The company produces phosphate feed, with an annual output of 60,000 tons of sulfuric acid, 100,000 tons of DCP feed, 20,000 tons of calcium phosphate monobasic feed, and 50,000 tons of DCP fertilizer.

11 Google earth area measurement. Historical photograph, actual area of the slag heap should be larger than shown.12 http://www.sinohongda.com/13 http://www.lomon.com/_d272585546.htm14http://www.yingfeng.cn/index.html15 http://www.scsjhlk.cn/Html/Main.asp16 http://www.scpl.cc/

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Figure 1. Map of the distribution of phosphogypsum stacks involved

A Sichuan Hongda Chemicals Co., ltd ：Luoshui Township, by Shiting River

E Sichuan Jinhe Phosphorite Mine Chemical Company : The Tingjiang Village, Shuangsheng Town, Shifang City

F Sichuan Mianzhu Panlong Minerals Co., ltd.: Gongxing Industrial Development Park, Mianzhu City

C Lomon Titanium Co., ltd: Xinshi Development Zone, Mianzhu City

D Ammonium Phosphate Plant, Sichuan Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd.: Chuanxindian Producion Area, Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd., Jinhua Township, Shifang City

B Phosphate product plant, the Sichuan Lomon Group ：Baiyi village, Jiangsu Industrial Park, Xiaode Township, Mianzhu City

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A Sichuan Hongda Chemicals Co., ltd ：Luoshui Township, by Shiting RiverB Phosphate product plant, the Sichuan Lomon Group ：Baiyi village, Jiangsu Industrial Park, Xiaode Township, Mianzhu CityC Lomon Titanium: Xinshi Development Zone, Mianzhu CityD Ammonium Phosphate Plant, Sichuan Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd.: Chuanxindian Producion Area, Yingfeng Chemical Co., ltd., Jinhua Township, Shifang CityE Sichuan Jinhe Phosphorite Mine Chemical Company : The Tingjiang Village, Shuangsheng Town, Shifang CityF Sichuan Mianzhu Panlong Minerals Co., ltd.: Gongxing Industrial Development Park, Mianzhu City

Note: ▲ beyond identification limit

Table 2 . Harmful substances in the phosphogypsum leaching solutionFinding I: All the phosphogypsum tested included a variety of harmful substances, and part of the phosphogypsum qualifies as hazardous waste.

Leaching solution of the collected phosphogypsum sampled were prepared in accordance with Solid Waste-Extraction Procedure for Leaching Toxicity – Sulfuric Acid and Nitric Acid Method (HJ/T299) to be analyzed by a third-party laboratory for harmful components in their leaching solution. In comparing the test results against the Identification Standard for Hazardous Waste - Toxicity of Leaching Solution (GB5085.3-2007), four samples were found to have exceeded the identification limit value of inorganic fluoride (100 mg/L) and therefore qualified as hazardous wastes. The four samples came from slag heaps of Sichuan Lomon Group, Lomon Titanium, Hongda Chemicals Co., ltd. and Sichuan Yinfeng Chemical Co., ltd., respectively. The fluoride content in the leaching solution of the phosphogypsum samples ranged from 12.1 to 802 mg/L, with the highest fluoride content of the samples being more than seven times higher than the identification limit. Also, the Hg content in phosphogypsum leaching solution from Yingfeng's slagheap was 172 μg/L, 72% higher than identification limit. Further investigation is needed to identify the reasons for such unusually high Hg value.Due to resource limitations, Greenpeace East Asia was unable to collect more samples, making this investigation essentially a case study rather than comprehensive research. However, the cases presented in this study give a glimpse of a possibly universal problem of phosphogypsum pollution. A comparison of the hazardous substance concentration of the samples collected between November and June shows that the November batch contains generally higher levels of hazardous substances than the June batch. Therefore, a conclusion can be drawn that the harmful substances in phosphogypsum is very likely to transfer to the surrounding environment over time.

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GPS

N31° 14.06′E104° 5.33′

N31° 18.4′

E104° 12.67′

N31° 11.25′

E104° 13.62′

N31° 20.122′

E104° 1.75′

N31° 11.74′

E104° 10.246′

N31° 25.122′E104° 14.75′

A

B

C

D

E

F

Time Hazardouswaste or not

pH

3.1

4.6

2.1

1.9▲

4.1

2.2

3.2

2.4

2.8

2-12.5

Fmg/L

277▲

21.4

802▲

370▲

12.1

190▲

20.1

62.7

62.1

100

TPmg/L

242

22.6

2.5×103

6.47×103

13.8

4.66×103

32.2

178

45.2

Asμg/L

78

＜50↑

204

89

＜50↑

98

＜50↑

125

180

5.0×103

Cdμg/L

11.2

13.4

34.7

43

3.5

11.5

4.2

41.3

16.2

1.5×104

Crμg/L

89

39

646

617

61

173

22

77

45

1.0×103

Cuμg/L

328

313

606

1.84×103

96

394

77

1.38×103

697

1.0×105

Pbμg/L

14

＜10↑

13

＜10↑

＜10↑

15

＜10↑

＜10↑

29

5.0×103

Znμg/L

237

767

1.86×103

3.3×103

74

354

116

2.99×103

392

1.0×105

Hgμg/L

16.8

6.2

0.8

1.1

8.2

172▲

0.7

＜0.1

0.8

100Hazardous Waste Identification Standard

June2012

June2012

Nov.2012

Nov.2012

June2012

Nov.2012

June2012

Nov.2012

Nov.2012

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Finding II: Poor storage and management situations

Various regulations dictate that sites for the storage and processing of phosphogypsum must conform to the Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage and Disposal of Generic Industrial Solid Waste (GB 18599-2001) and other environmental protection standards. The Pollution Control Standards for General Industrial Solid Waste Storage clearly states that storage sites must be hosted in an industrial area and more than 500 m downwind from residential communities. What is more, phosphogypsum as hazardous waste must be stored according to the measured prescribed by Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage of Hazardous Waste (GB 18597-2001). Article 6.1.3 of that document stipulates hazardous waste must be stored more than 800 m away from residential communities and more than 150 m from surface water bodies. Article 8.1.2 states that the foundation of the storage site must be walled or equipped with other protective fence. However, Greenpeace East Asia witnessed that violations of these regulations were common and management generally sub-standard at phosphogypsum storage sites, many of which were dangerously close to residential communities or protected water sources, or missing proper storage facilities or personnel.

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Table 3 . Management situations of phosphogypsum storage sites

AB

CDEF

YesYes

YesYesNoNo

610100

20020010100

Shiting RiverMawei River (a protected drinking water source)Shiting RiverShiting RiverShiting RiverMianyuan River

YesYes

NoYesNoNo

Phosphogypsum Stack

Hazardous Waste

Estimated distance toclosest village (m)

Neighboring water bodies

Hazard Warning

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Starting from October 2007, a phosphate product plant owned by the Sichuan Lomon Group piled up phosphogypsum on a piece of farmland on the edge of Baiyi Village, Mianzhu City. More than 20 meters in height and nearly 50 meters in width, and with a length of almost 1km, the phosphogypsum pile is only about 100 meters away from the closest residential home. Villagers claim to have each received a RMB16,000 one-off compensation from Lomon for taking 7.8 hectares of farmland. Although the phosphate product plant was relocated in 2011, the huge phosphogypsum stack was left behind with no further arrangement made.

Testing of the phosphogypsum pile’s leaching solution by a 3rd-part lab shows the level of fluoride is at 802 mg/L, more than eight times the Chinese standard for threshold value of hazardous waste. However, the above-mentioned stack is a mere 100 m away from the closest residential house and sits right next to a river defined as drinking water source, which violates the Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage of Hazardous Waste (GB 18597-2001).17

Residents of the Baiyi Village claimed that the phosphogypsum stack has impacted various aspects of their life. For example, people from households closest to the pile claim that incrustation from boiling ground water has reached excessive levels since the pile appeared in 2007, doubting that the phenomenon is related to hazardous materials infiltrating ground water. Affected residents have since then resorted to barreled water for drinking water. However, they continue to use ground water for cooking, bathing, laundry and rearing poultry. Some villagers also claim that before a narrow ditch was built between the phosphogypsum pile and the Mawei River, a “Mother River” of the nearby Mianzhu City and a protected drinking water source, a part of the pile collapsed into the river and caused visible pollution.

Though villagers have reported their situation to the local authorities and media, the Sichuan Lomon Group have refused to respond to the villagers’ demand they relocate the phosphogypsum pile. In an effort to solve this problem villagers then borrowed money to purchase a digger, and three villagers began moving the phosphogypsum away to a construction materials manufacturer. Although the three men are aware of the risks involved in regular direct contact with the phosphogypsum pile, facing a situation where no other help is offered by the waste owner or the government, they feel they have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Regardless of how long the process will take or how much dust they will have to inhale.

Finding III: Cases of phosphogypsum storage sites invading local communities

Greenpeace East Asia investigations not only covered the chemical components and management measures of phosphogypsum storage sites, but their impact on the lives of residents in neighboring communities. It was found that living too close to the storage site has already threatened people’s lives from multiple respects, as is demonstrated in the following three cases.

17Article 6.1.3 of GB 18597-2001 stipulates that hazardous waste must be stored more than 800 m away from residential communities and more than 150 m from surface water bodies.

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Baiyi Village, Mianzhu City

Case I:

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The Tingjiang Village of Shuangsheng Township, Shifang City, is merely 10 meters away from a tall phosphogypsum pile, produced by Sichuan Jinhe Phosphorite Mine Company. Residents of the village have long suffered from both the phosphogypsum waste and the plant that sits alongside it.

According to villagers, the biggest problem is the emissions and dust produced by the plant, which then moves across farmland and into people’s houses. Villagers claim that due to the lack of wind-proof facilities at the phosphogypsum pile, phosphogypsum dusts frequently cover their farmland via wind. They claim that the phosphogypsum dust, coupled with strong emissions, explains why farmland closest to the factory has the smallest yield. They also attribute a serious crop failure incident in 2005 to excessive emissions from the factory. Villagers also point out that the annual output of their rice field has dropped from over 1,000 kg to around 400 kg, while their vegetables were difficult to sell at markets due to the thick layer of phosphogypsum dust covering the leaves. Greenpeace East Asia also witnessed that trees closest to the factory had blackened withered leaves, while roofs of residential home around the phosphogypsum pile were covered by grey dust. Some villagers say they received small “symbolic” cash compensations from the factory after the 2005 crop failure, but neither their living condition nor health condition has been closely investigated.

There is nothing more than a wall between Renhe Village, Shifang City and Sichuan Yinfeng Chemical Co., ltd. Both located on one side of the Shiting River, the village and the factory stand next to each other at the bottom of a river valley, where emissions from the factory concentrate. Villagers complain that the factory emissions have led to respiratory problems, resulting in a high rate of chronicle respiratory diseases such as trachitis. Greenpeace East Asia also found that vegetation in the valley in withered condition.

ccording to villagers, they have suffered pollution caused by the factory for over two decades. And in the process of rebuilding the village after the Wenchuan earthquake demanded the relocation of the factory as a prerequisite of reconstruction. Although villagers were told that the factory would move away and agreed to have their community rebuilt on the same place, the factory was reopened next to their new residential housing project and quickly began to accumulate phosphogypsum on the river bank As Greenpeace East Asia witnessed, the new apartment buildings are visibly affected by factory emissions. Only one resident out of eight have stayed on, while the other villagers all having elected to move away. Along with the factory emissions and waste discharge, the villagers are also concerned about the two gigantic phosphogypsum piles laid on the riverbank. According to several villagers, a dead body was found buried under collapsed phosphogypsum after the earthquake. Greenpeace East Asia also found the distance between the phosphogypsum pile (tested positive as hazardous waste) and the Shiting River to be under 150 m, which according to national standards exceeds the minimum distance allowed between hazardous waste storage sites and nearby water bodies. Greenpeace East Asia discovered that part of the phosphogypsum stack had already spread and entered the river.

Tingjiang Village, Shifang City

Case II:

Renhe Village, Shifang City

Case III:with Danger

Living An Investigation of Phosphogypsum Pollution in the Phosphate Fertilizer Industry, Sichuan Province

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Annex 1: Loss of phosphate fertilizer

While there is serious overcapacity of China’s phosphate fertilizer industry, there is also considerable loss and waste of phosphate fertilizer across the country's farmland. China’s phosphate fertilizer consumption increased by 20% from 2002 to 2009, in contrast to Europe reduced its consumption by about 20% during the same period. Low utilization rates of phosphate fertilizer (only 10% to 20%) has not only caused a direct economic loss, but also the migration of fertilizer from terrestrial ecosystems to the ecosystem of the water body via surface runoff has accelerated the eutrophication of water bodies.18 In 2012, a study on water quality of major lakes in southern China by Limnology Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences showed worrying results and indicated that excessive application of nitrogenous and phosphate fertilizers is the main cause of the worsening water quality. A 2002 analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus composition in the Three Gorges Reservoir’s pollutants also showed that the total phosphorus load of the non-point source pollution in the reservoir area was 6,600 t/a, and more than 98% of the total non-point source pollution came from agricultural runoff pollution.19 On the other hand, as phosphate fertilizers commonly contain heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), long-term application of phosphate fertilizers leads to increases of cadmium (Cd) in the soil. What’s worse, the water-soluble cadmium can be absorbed by crops, posing a threat to food safety.

Annex 2: Phosphogypsum's harmful ingredients and their potential hazards

Although this Greenpeace East Asia investigation highlights the excessive fluoride content in some of the phosphogypsum samples, phosphogypsum in general is likely to contain multiple kinds of hazardous chemicals, some of which are listed below:

18 Yan Weijin, Kang Yu, Zhang Shen, el at. The desorption kinetics of phosphorus from calcareous soil in China. China Environment Sciences, 2000, 20( 2): 97- 101.19 Sun Yang, Wang Li’ao, Yuan Hui. Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution Contribution Rate in Three Gorges Reservoir. Journal of Chongqing University, 2004, 27( 10): 138- 141.20 ZhuWenjing, Zhang Zigui, Shen Xiuying, et al. Fluorosis Pathogenesis and Anti-fluoride Effects of Selenium. China Endemiology Journal, 2009,28(6):704-706.21 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp2-c1-b.pdf22 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp5-c1-b.pdf23 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp7-c1-b.pdf24 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp13-c1-b.pdf25 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=24

Greenpeace East Asia makes the following short and long-term proposals for relevant government departments:1. Initiate a thorough investigation into all phosphogypsum storage sites covered in the Greenpeace East Asia investigation, and order enterprises that have violated the Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage and Disposal of Generic Industrial Solid Waste and Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage of Hazardous Waste to stop production.2. Investigate communities affected by the above-mentioned phosphogypsum storage sites, assess the impact of phosphogypsum on their health and living environment, and make enterprises financially responsibly for compensation.3. In the long term, promote scientific fertilizer application and increase the efficiency of chemical fertilizers application, so that consumption and excessive production capacity of chemical fertilizers can be reduced. 4. Establish a significantly stricter system for managing phosphogypsum. The system must secure multi-dimensional environmental impact assessments and strict storage and management conditions for all phosphogypsum storage sites, especially for those identified as hazardous waste. It must also strengthen monitoring of the storage sites, covering PH value, water content, fluoride content, heavy metal content, atmospheric environment of airborne dust, dust, total suspended particles and groundwater quality, and disclose all monitoring information.

With a total amount of 300 million tons, phosphogypsum, a by-product of the phosphate chemicals industry, has become a huge threat to people’s health and environment, including their farmland. Taking into account the size of China’s phosphate industry, the cases documented in this report merely shows the tip of the iceberg. The Development Plan on Phosphate and Compound Fertilizer Industry During the “12th Five-Year Plan” Period states that the phosphate and compound fertilizer industry must make resource-saving and environment-friendly developments, and progress must be made on clean production, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, waste processing, environmental protection, integrated use of natural resources and the building of a recycling economy. However, as Greenpeace East Asia has witnessed in Sichuan province the massively adverse impact produced on the environment by the improper storage and management of phosphogypsum lies in sharp contrast to those requirements stipulated by the government's national five-year plan. Our conclusion based on these observations and investigations in Sichuan province, is that the pollution of China’s phosphate chemicals industry, with phosphogypsum as an outstanding example, cannot continue to be tolerated.

Conclusion and Greenpeace East Asia recommendations:

Annex

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Substance Main potential hazards

Phosphogypsum usually contains free acids. When its pH value is too low, it will be corrosive and will affect the acid-base balance of the soil and water system. An appropriate amount of fluoride is necessary for human body, but excessive fluoride is harmful to the human health. The lethal dose of sodium fluoride is 6 - 12 grams. Drinking water containing 2.4-5 mg/L of sodium fluoride can lead to skeletal fluorosis.20

Under certain circumstances, excessive phosphorus can cause eutrophication of waters, leading to abnormal reproduction of certain algae and other harmful organisms, changes in water oxygen, and even "algal blooms", seriously affecting the use of water resources. Drinking water with high arsenic for extended durations will lead to stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms associated with the central nervous system, peripheral nerves, blood vessels and digestive system.21

In the 1950s, the outbreak of "bone pain disease" in Japan caused by intake of cadmium attracted worldwide attention. Cadmium ranks first among the 12 hazardous chemicals put forward by the United Nations Environment Programme. Cadmium is identified by the IARC as a cause of lung cancer and prostate cancer among humans and experimental animals.22

There are trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium in human body. The intake of trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium is a redox process. A large number of domestic and foreign research data proves that the toxicity of trivalent chromium is minor, while long-term and high-dose intake of hexavalent chromium can be mutagenic and carcinogenic. 23

Lead has reproductive toxicity, embryo toxicity and teratogenic effects. Exposure to lead can cause damage to the immune system, increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases. Maternal exposure to lead can cause increases of maternal blood lead, milk lead and infant blood lead. Exposure to lead can also affect mental development of children.24 Mercury is the most toxic elements in terms of heavy metal pollution. It directly deposits into the liver and causes tremendous damage to the human brain, nerves and vision. Intake of organic-mercury-contaminated seafood used to cause "Minamata disease" in Japan, whose symptoms include convulsions, slurred speech, lack of motor function and uncontrollable limb movements.25

Fluoride(F)

Cadmium (Cd)

Arsenic (As)

Total Phosphorus (TP)

pH value

Chromium (Cr)

Lead (Pb)

Mercury (Hg)

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Annex 3: Cases of severe environmental pollution caused by phosphogypsum in China

- In 2006, the former State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) conducted an environmental risk screening of 20 domestic chemical industrial and petrochemical projects, including two phosphate fertilizer projects. They found that the phosphogypsum slag heaps of Sanhuan and Furui companies in Yunnan qualified as hazardous wastes and posed significant environmental risk to nearby rivers, with the leaching solutions of the tested samples containing excessive total phosphorus (TP) and fluoride (F-).26

- In 2008, leakage from a phosphogypsum slagheap in Guizhou caused serious contamination of surface water in Dagangou region. The local surface water was tested and found to contain 240 mg/L total phosphorus (TP) and 337 mg/L fluoride (F-) (cf. national standard Class-V surface water: TP: 0.4 mg/L, F-: 1.5 mg/L). The data showed that wastewater leakage was the main cause of phosphorus pollution in the Wujiangdu reservoir, accounting for 9.18% of the total pollution sources. That leakage resulted in the eutrophication of the Wujiang River, posing a serious threat to the water quality and aquatic ecological environment of Wujiangdu reservoir. 27

- The phosphate fertilizer and phosphate ore in Sichuan Province has a relatively high level of uranium (Ur). Phosphogypsum stacks are having a radioactive impact on the surrounding soil (more than 2 km in the horizontal direction and nearly 50 cm in the vertical direction). Which also means phosphate ore mining and processing is having a radioactive impact on the environment of the Tuojiang River valley. 28

Annex 4: Policies related to phosphogypsum

According to the Implementation Plan on Bulk Solid Waste Utilization ([2011] No. 2919) issued by China’s National Development and Reform Commission on December 10, 2011, China’s comprehensive utilization rate of industrial by-product gypsum shall be increased to more than 50% by 2015, and that of desulfurized gypsum and phosphogypsum shall reach 80% and 30%, respectively.- According to the Guiding Rules on Comprehensive Utilization of Industrial By-Product Gypsum issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the comprehensive utilization rate of phosphogypsum shall be improved from the current 20% to 40% by the end of 2015.- According to the Ammonium Phosphate Production Access Requirements (draft) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in March 2011, all the existing ammonium phosphate production enterprises shall have phosphogypsum slag heaps, and those without slag heaps shall build new ones within three years. The utilized phosphogypsum shall account for 15% of their annual capacity within three years. Those who fail to reach the above requirements shall be shut down.- Construction of phosphogypsum storage and disposal facilities shall conform to the requirements of Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage and Disposal of Generic Industrial Solid Waste (GB 18599-2001) and other environmental protection standards. The Standard states that the facilities shall be located on the downwind side of industrial areas and residential areas, and their boundaries shall be no less than 500 m away from residential areas.- According to Article 6.1.3 of Standard on Pollution Control Regarding Storage of Hazardous Waste (GB 18597-2001), the boundaries of hazardous waste storage facilities shall be no less than 800 m away from residential areas and 150 m away from surface waters. Article 8.1.2 states that the hazardous waste storage facilities shall be enclosed by walls or other protective fences.

26 http://www.cenews.com.cn/xwzx/cysc/gfk/201009/t20100929_664672.html27 Duan Xianfa, Wei Junfa, Ding Jianping. Assessment on Pollution Caused by a Leakage at a Phosphogypsum Storage Site.Resource, Environment and Engineering, 2008,22(2):218-221.28 Shi Zeming, Ni Zhijun, Zheng Lin, et al. Discussion on Radioactively Environmental Problems during Phosphorite Mining and Processing in Tuojiang Area. Advances in Earth Sciences, 2012, 27(10)

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