The situation is somewhat eerie. 

Red bricks used for construction were found to contain glowing particles, emitting strange blue lights in the darkness; newly harvested rice turned green and developed a weird, rusty smell after just over twenty days of storage; this sounds like something out of a fairy tale. But a more terrifying reality is unfolding—

The land here has become barren, with peanuts growing small seeds, many rice grains turning out to be empty husks, and vegetables failing to grow to full size. The villagers complain that “nothing is willing to grow here.” Water buffaloes are dying en masse, and upon dissection, their insides are found to be rotting. More and more people are falling ill with no apparent reason, suffering from strokes and cerebral hemorrhages, with almost the entire village contracting pharyngitis.

Due to the toxic nature of the large amounts of copper mud brought in, many villages in Yangchun, Guangdong, are gradually turning into a “hell on Earth.”

In January 2020, local villagers paid out of their own pockets to test the copper and nickel PH content of the copper mud in Yangchun’s Shaha Village, finding nickel content more than five times over the limit. Without a doubt, this copper mud is toxic hazardous waste. Around July 2020, the Yangchun Environmental Protection Bureau commissioned technicians from the South China Environmental Testing Center to conduct spectral analysis sampling on site. They found that the sampled copper mud contained chromium, nickel, lead, arsenic, and copper heavy metals severely exceeding the standards, by up to ten times.

Where did this toxic copper mud come from? What are its harms? Who is responsible? What impacts have local villagers suffered? Is the pollution still ongoing? With these questions, the author visited Yangchun, Guangdong, in the spring of 2021 for an on-site investigation.

A factory illegally transferred and dumped over 20,000 tons of toxic copper mud

Tens of thousands of tons of toxic copper mud were dumped and buried here.

The author visited 15 toxic copper mud landfill sites in the western part of Yangchun city and found that the pollution caused by the toxic copper mud was far worse than imagined. The People’s Procuratorate of Yangchun City, Guangdong Province, had filed lawsuits, but the court verdicts only recognized three toxic copper mud burial sites: the sand field, Hegang Brick Factory, and the collective fish pond of Shaha Village. However, upon investigation, the author learned of countless overlooked toxic copper mud “footprints.”

The pollution at the 15 toxic copper mud landfill sites in the western part of Yangchun city is more severe than imagined

It all started with a factory.

From early 2012 to September 2014, businessman Tang Yongding opened the Hongxiang Waste Slag Processing Factory in the Jiangganling Industrial Development Zone of Hexi Sub-district Office, Yangchun City. To gain huge profits, the processing factory illegally purchased copper-containing waste materials—copper mud from other places to extract copper. During the copper refining process, the waste slag was piled up in the open air without any rainproof or leakage prevention measures. Besides illegal storage, the factory owner also instructed locals to dump the waste slag in abandoned cement factories and brick factories, and secretly buried it in various pits and fish ponds in the village. Over two years, the factory was involved in the illegal transfer and dumping of over 20,000 tons of toxic copper mud. Villagers took up the law and sued the Hongxiang Waste Slag Processing Factory.

In 2018, the Fifth Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team happened to be investigating in Yangchun, and the illegal dumping incident of toxic copper mud was exposed. Additionally, Yangjiang City, which administers Yangchun, was found to have a lack of solid and hazardous waste environmental supervision, with a significant amount of solid waste and hazardous waste being stored in the open for a long time, posing prominent environmental risks. In 2019, the People’s Court of Yangchun City, Guangdong Province, convicted the owners of Hongxiang Metal Processing Factory, Tang Yongding and Yang Xiuhe, of polluting the environment and imposed corresponding penalties.

However, the legal penalties and central inspections did not put an end to the toxic copper mud pollution incident. For many, the harm and sorrow brought by the toxic copper mud continue.

Under pressure from villagers, the Hegang Brick Factory superficially stopped using toxic copper mud to make bricks, but in reality, it did not officially stop brick production until 2020.

Houses built with red bricks emit strange blue lights

Everything was done without the villagers’ knowledge. When the environment first started showing abnormalities, the villagers did not know the cause.

Hong Xueying, a villager from Hegang Village in Yangchun City, was previously healthy and hardworking. She never expected that her new house, built with red bricks from the Hegang Brick Factory, would cause her to suffer a severe stroke and paralysis.

 

In 2015, Hong Xueying purchased red bricks from the Hegang Brick Factory to build a new house. After the house was built but not yet decorated, the family moved in and immediately noticed a strange smell. Soon after, they began to experience frequent dizziness. Confused, Hong Xueying noticed a light green layer on the surface of the leftover red bricks. Upon breaking open a red brick, she discovered an emerald green “core” inside, containing iron-red spots and noticeably glowing particles.

Another villager who also bought bricks from the Hegang Brick Factory for construction found the same glowing particles upon breaking open a brick. At night, these particles emitted a faint blue light, which was very eerie. The villagers speculated that toxic copper mud, containing large amounts of heavy metals, might have been mixed into the bricks, causing them to glow.

Villagers breaking open red bricks found an emerald green “core” inside, containing iron-red spots and noticeably glowing particles

An informant told the author that, to make a substantial income, the owner of the Hegang Brick Factory illegally accepted toxic copper mud from the Pearl River Delta and abroad at a price of 850 yuan per ton, mixing it into the soil for brick-making. The bricks mixed with toxic mud were mainly used for local construction, and many villagers built their homes with these bricks. From 2012 to 2017, the Hegang Brick Factory continued to bring in toxic copper mud for five years. In 2017, villagers gradually noticed abnormalities in their new houses and various health issues, leading to widespread complaints. Under pressure from the villagers, the Hegang Brick Factory superficially stopped using toxic copper mud for brick-making, but in reality, it did not officially cease production until 2020.

The above picture shows a house built with toxic copper mud bricks from the Hegang Brick Factory, as if the house is shedding tears of copper rust, referred to as “tear bricks” or “tear houses.” This contrasts sharply with the house built with normal bricks shown in the below picture.

Yang Hongxu, a villager from Shaha Village, revealed to the author that in Yangchun, besides the Hegang Brick Factory, several other brick factories also used copper mud for brick-making. One of the shareholders of the Hegang Brick Factory personally disclosed that bringing copper mud into Yangchun had been approved by local government and environmental protection bureau leaders. Each brick factory was even assigned a specific task to deal with the hazardous copper mud, aiming to profit from handling the hazardous waste.

However, in reality, these brick factories did not have the qualifications to handle hazardous waste. They simply mixed a portion of the copper mud into the bricks, with the remainder piled up at the brick factories. The copper mud that could not be accommodated by the brick factories was randomly dumped in other areas of the village—large amounts of toxic copper mud were openly stored at the Yellow Sand Ridge transfer site, for example.

Villagers near Yellow Sand Ridge were the first to notice something was wrong. The copper mud was piled up in the open air, and the stench carried by the wind could be smelled everywhere. Subsequently, insiders from the brick factories revealed that the copper mud was toxic and that facilities like the Hegang Brick Factory were using the toxic mud for brick-making, slowly spreading the news.

However, the villagers were powerless to stop the dumping of toxic copper mud. One villager, who wished to remain anonymous, told the author that he had witnessed the dumping of toxic copper mud and loudly protested to stop it, only to be beaten severely by the people dumping the mud. Other villagers confirmed, “He was beaten very badly and was hospitalized for a long time. The attackers were not punished.”

Multiple villagers described to the author that when making bricks with normal soil, the smoke emitted by the brick factory was light and could drift upwards, without a heavy smell. When using toxic copper mud for brick-making, the smoke emitted had an extremely foul odour. At night, the smoke from the toxic copper mud clung to the ground, unable to be dispersed by the wind, leaving the ground covered in a dark haze. The village appeared like a ghost town enveloped in black smoke.

Copper-green rice grew in the fields

Besides the “rising” toxic smoke, the pollution from the toxic copper mud also “seeped down.” The copper mud was close to farmland and ponds, allowing toxins to penetrate the ground, directly contaminating the soil and groundwater.

Cai Mengliang, a native villager of Hegang Village, lives in Kuangtong, about a ten-minute walk from the Hegang Brick Factory. Cai Mengliang’s farmland in front of his house is planted with rice and peanuts. At first glance, the rice harvested from the fields looks no different from normal rice, but upon closer examination, the color is noticeably darker and yellower. More strangely, the dried rice turns a distinct copper-green color after just over twenty days,

 emitting a pungent, rusty smell.

Villagers found that their dried rice turned a distinct copper-green color after just over twenty days, emitting a pungent, rusty smell

Villager Tan Dabang conducted three tests and observations on Cai’s rice. Each time, the rice initially appeared somewhat yellowish, but after being sealed and stored for about twenty days, it began to turn green and emit a foul smell. The villagers speculated that the greening of the rice was likely related to soil contamination by toxic copper mud.

As early as the end of 2012, Cai Mengliang noticed that copper mud had been piled up not more than two miles from his home. He said, “There must have been over ten thousand tons, all stored in the open air without any treatment measures. Within tens of meters, one could smell a strong odor, which was very uncomfortable and caused dizziness, brain swelling, and chest tightness.”

After the appearance of toxic copper mud, the land around the Hegang Brick Factory became difficult to cultivate. Tan Dabang said that several bosses had leased farmland around the brick factory to grow honeysuckle, bananas, and ornamental trees, but without exception, none could survive, and they all went bankrupt and left.

Hegang Village consists of 28 natural villages, with over 4,000 residents. The main crops grown here include rice, peanuts, vegetables, and soybeans. Multiple villagers told the author that after the appearance of toxic copper mud, the condition of the farmland deteriorated significantly. However, they had little understanding of the extent of soil contamination.

Cattle died with rotten stomachs after consuming contaminated water and grass

Along with the soil, groundwater was also contaminated.

Near Cai Mengliang’s home, about 500-600 meters from the Hegang toxic mud site, the author drew a bucket of well water, which had a strong odor and a noticeably yellow color. The well water had been contaminated, and currently, the villagers of Hegang are using tap water. Most of the tap water installations were made after villagers reported the toxic copper mud incident, and the villagers are worried that the tap water might also be contaminated.

The tap water plant and the water intake are located upstream, about 5 kilometers from a sulfur iron mine lake. This several hundred meters deep abandoned mine lake is filled with hazardous toxic copper mud, often leading to waste water flowing into the nearby Moyang River, downstream of which is the Yangchun city tap water plant.

When discussing water source pollution in Yangchun, the Moyang River, which runs through the city, is a primary concern. With the rapid advancement of urbanization and the rapid population growth in the Guangdong Yangjiang area, industrial development has accelerated, and the pollution problem of the Moyang River was already quite prominent by 2009. The pollution of the Moyang River has threatened the water supply safety of Yangjiang. To ensure safe water supply, the water plant’s intake has been continuously moved upstream.

Villager Yang Hongxu stated that the Yangjiang City Environmental Protection Bureau once investigated the cause of heavy metal exceedance in the Moyang River section in Yangchun, searching for the source of illegally dumped toxic copper mud wastewater throughout the Yangchun section of the water source. Later, when the people of Yangjiang learned that the water source was polluted, they initiated a project to divert water from the Daheshui Reservoir to Jiangcheng District.

This desperately sought source is likely the sulfur iron mine lake located above the Moyang River.

The sulfur iron mine is another site where copper mud was buried in Yangchun, and villagers believe that the copper mud there is even more toxic. Tan Dabang visited the site on February 1st of this year and began experiencing chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and accelerated heartbeat within just over ten minutes. Tan Dabang mentioned that a leader of the internal security brigade of the Yangchun Public Security Bureau once told him that a police officer had fainted while enforcing the law there.

This approximately 200 meters deep, 40-acre sulfur iron mine lake is now completely filled. A layer of hillside soil covers the top of the lake, on which a solar power station is built.

This approximately 200 meters deep, 40-acre sulfur iron mine lake is now completely filled with toxic copper mud

The author and villagers visited the sulfur iron mine lake, and within just over ten minutes, they began experiencing chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and accelerated heartbeat Local villagers corroborated that cattle began dying mysteriously in 2017. Later, experts sent by the province conducted autopsies on the mysteriously deceased cattle and found that their stomachs and intestines were completely rotten. Further investigation into where the cattle grazed revealed that toxic copper mud from the sulfur iron mine had flowed out with the water, contaminating the water and grass, causing the cattle to die from rotten stomachs and

 intestines.

An elderly villager in his eighties told the author that in 2020, three of his cattle died, all within about ten to fifteen days of purchase. One cow was worth 13,000 yuan, and another was worth 14,000 yuan, both were female and could have given birth to calves. According to his understanding, toxic copper mud (hazardous waste) was dumped in the 200 meters deep sulfur mine, and the town officials informed them, “The soil here is toxic, and it’s no longer suitable for farming.”

Currently, the site the elderly man referred to as the sulfur mine (lake) has been transformed into a solar power station (owned by Guangdong Saint Power Co., Ltd., under Yangchun Zhongneng Science and Energy Co., Ltd.). The soil beneath the solar panels is dotted with white and orange crystals; there is standing water under the panels, which, upon initial pH testing, was found to be strongly acidic with a pH of 2. Soil samples taken from the site showed lead levels exceeding the standard by 2.90 times, nickel by 12.00 times, copper by 27.40 times, chromium by 14.30 times, zinc by 4.48 times, and arsenic by 3.33 times.

Soil samples taken from the site showed lead levels exceeding the standard by 2.90 times, nickel by 12.00 times, copper by 27.40 times, chromium by 14.30 times, zinc by 4.48 times, and arsenic by 3.33 times.

Strange fish

Polluted groundwater flowed into the fish ponds, and strange things began to happen there.

There are many fish ponds around Hegang Village, but in recent years, villagers have complained that the fish are difficult to raise. The villagers revealed even stranger occurrences: fish raised in their ponds had crooked mouths and deformed bodies, not normal shapes.

Chen Minqing, a resident of Huangsha Village, relies on fishing and pig farming for a living. However, Chen Minqing said, “I’m still raising fish, but no one dares to eat them anymore. Whoever wants them can have them.”

Chen Minqing recalled a day in March 2019 with lingering fear. While speaking, he suddenly couldn’t move one side of his body, a condition that lasted for about ten minutes. Later, he was diagnosed with a blocked cerebral vessel and has been on medication ever since. He suspects that the toxic copper mud piled up by the Hegang Brick Factory is to blame, and since then, he has switched to drinking tap water and no longer eats fish from his own pond.

Another villager who wished to remain anonymous told the author that he raised the four major families of fish in his own fish pond. Because he saw that the spring water in a ditch on one side was clean and clear, he diverted it into his fish pond, resulting in the complete loss of the fish in the pond, “I guess there were several thousand pounds of fish, which I had to carry and bury behind the fish pond.”

The difficulty of obtaining water greatly restricts local agriculture and fishery development. Although there is a Daheshui Reservoir locally, the reservoir illegally retains water without an ecological flow, forcing irrigation and fish farming to rely on rainwater and well water. Most fish farmers can only rely on well water. With the well water contaminated, the fish ponds are also polluted, leaving villagers helpless.

This is the state of most villagers. They are well aware of the hazards of toxic copper mud and know that both the soil and water are polluted, but they have no other choice. They want to sustain themselves, so they continue to grow rice, raise cattle, pigs, and fish, enduring the suffering caused by pollution.

Villagers are increasingly suffering from strokes, losing their ability to work, and even dying Tan Dabang has noticed that since 2017, more and more people in Hegang Village have been getting sick for no reason. Incidences of gastrointestinal cancer and cardiovascular diseases are also becoming more common among younger people. In 2020, two people in Hegang Village died from liver and gastric cancer, both in their forties and fifties.

Yang Hongxu, who lives in Shaha Village, also said that in recent years, there have been three young people in Shaha Village who died from cancer; older people are more likely to suffer from heart and vascular diseases, with 7 or 8 deaths. He suspects that the excessive heavy metal nickel from the toxic mud has entered the groundwater and soil, contaminating the food and water sources, thereby damaging the cardiovascular systems of humans.

“There are more cases of stroke and paralysis. The most severe case involved a family of three, including the parents and their son, who is about forty years old, all of whom have lost the ability to work.” In May 2021, during a preliminary visit and registration, the author learned that there are about 59 stroke patients in Hegang Village and Shaha Village combined.

This year, 70-year-old Jiang Sijuan’s family has three members who have suffered strokes. After being diagnosed with a stroke in 2018, Jiang Sijuan has been unable to perform any heavy farm work. Her 72-year-old spouse, Liu Chuanwei, also suffered a stroke. Their 42-year-old son was diagnosed with a stroke in 2018. Previously, he worked as a day laborer, earning about 150 yuan per day, but now he relies on social assistance and his wife. His wife currently works outside, earning more than 80 yuan per day, supporting two children in elementary and junior high school.

57-year-old villager He Rongzhen became a vegetative patient after a cerebral hemorrhage

Some villagers have completely given up farming. Party member Cai Yelai and his spouse, who have been honored with the “Glorious Home” award, have lived in the village their entire lives. Due to a stroke, Cai Yelai has no strength in his hands and often feels unwell, making it impossible for him to continue farming. His spouse, Liu Changfu, discovered the stroke three years ago, has no money for treatment, and can only seek medication from barefoot doctors. Since March last year, Liu has had difficulty speaking.

Cai Yelai and his spouse discovered the stroke three years ago and have no money for treatment, relying on barefoot doctors for medication

Cai Mengliang and his family have also been experiencing frequent health issues in recent years. In 2017, Cai Mengliang’s mother underwent surgery for an intestinal ulcer, “The inflammation was so severe that a section of the intestine rotted away.” In recent years, Cai Mengliang has occasionally experienced angina, and in 2020, a hospital examination revealed a shadow on his heart, diagnosed as aortic sclerosis, “All these illnesses might be related to the long-term consumption of contaminated rice and well water.” All clues point to toxic copper mud.

In April 2018, after being reported by villagers, some of the toxic mud was removed. From 2014 to 2018, the villagers of Pugang suffered greatly. The toxic mud had a strong irritating smell, and before it was removed, the entire village was infected with pharyngitis.

Can we not eat these toxic foods? Villagers complain, “Even if the land has problems, even if the food has problems, we still have to eat. If we don’t grow our own food, what should we eat? We don’t have the conditions to buy everything.”

The delayed pollution control Most of the 15 copper mud dumping sites visited by the author are outside the scope of official reports. The pollution in these places is more silent and unknown.

“At site number 12” next to Luwei Lake, there’s a stream where oily liquid seeps from the soil into the stream. Luwei Lake is about 1.6 kilometers straight from the Moyang River. Aerial photography confirmed that the stream eventually flows into the Moyang River.

In Hezai Village, Shaha, the author encountered two women in their fifties, one spraying herbicide and the other loosening the soil. They were farming on land contaminated by toxic mud. A villager said that previously, dozens of people in uniform came to take soil samples for testing, causing a disturbance for several days.

The original Hongxiang Waste Slag Processing Factory, Hegang Brick Factory, and the collective fish pond of Shaha Village, identified by the environmental protection department’s affiliated research institute as places “storing hazardous waste with leaching toxic characteristics,” even after being criticized in government reports, have seen no action taken for remediation (except for the Yellow Sand Ridge in Hegang Village).

Tan Dabang recalled that ten years ago, the clear water channels and rivers in Hexi Village were full of small fish and clams. After around 2010, the small fish disappeared, and the sounds of small insects in the woods were no longer heard. When asking those selling clams on the street, they said that clams near Yangchun were basically extinct.

In this place, healthy life forms are becoming increasingly rare, patients are becoming more numerous, and the signals of life are becoming increasingly faint.

Those who should be responsible, some have faced lawsuits, many more are unaccounted for.

The toxic tumors under the solar panels, turning into a sudden whiff of stench in the wind, blending with rainwater into slowly flowing viscous streams, seeping into the soil, flowing into the farmland of ordinary people, growing into fresh vegetables, the brightly orange crystallized sulfur iron mine lake, silently accuses everything.

The pollution continues.