River of Milk

Natural latex polluted more than a mile of a stretch of the Quxi River in Wenzhou City, at southeastern China, turning it into what was described as a ‘river of milk’. A layer of a white oily substance was floating on the surface of the river, and local resident thought if the water had been mixed with milk. The head of the local Environmental Protection Office blamed the pollution on a trading company, which loads and unloads latex into the river. Quoting from what the local press said, “The pollutant was identified as natural emulsion … the milk-white natural emulsion contained no biochemical toxicity.” Well then, the authorities might think the water is safe to use. Early this year, the pollution in China’s southern region sparked panic buying of bottled water after a mining firm dumped toxic cadmium into a river.