Chinese villagers flee county in radiation scare

[July 20, 2009]  BEIJING (AP) -- Residents fled a central Chinese county at the weekend over rumors of a radiation leak at a factory but most had returned by Monday after government assurances it was safe.

The exodus was sparked Friday, when bystanders saw government workers at a factory using robots to examine a cobalt-60 irradiator that had malfunctioned. The irradiator is used mainly for sterilizing pepper powder, flavoring used in instant noodles and garlic.

"There was chaos on the streets from about 2:30 p.m. until dark," Zhu Zhihai, manager of a different factory that processes garlic, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. "All kinds of vehicles were going out of the county -- farm vehicles, motorcycles and cars."

He estimated that a third of the population of about 1 million in Qi county, Henan province, fled, many because they had heard rumors of explosions. Officials have not estimated the number who fled.

The incident illustrates how quickly rumors can spread and cause panic in China, where many don't trust local officials and the government-controlled media.

Some people fled as far as the capital city of Zhengzhou, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) away. Some parents were keeping their children away for a few more weeks, said residents interviewed by telephone.

"People were in a hurry and they didn't take anything with them. The public security bureau kept trying to persuade them not to leave," said Zhu, whose 30 employees left as well.

He said he didn't leave because his friends at the local environmental protection bureau told him the rumors of a disaster were untrue.

Telephones at government offices rang unanswered Monday. Li Chunsheng, deputy director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Kaifeng, which oversees Qi county, said in a statement posted on the government site Saturday that the irradiator problem "will not cause any harm to the public."

He said that the cobalt-60 is stable and would not explode or emit radioactive gas.

Li said the irradiator malfunctioned June 7 when its protective shield was knocked askew while a batch of peppers was being sterilized. As a result, the device could not be put properly into its storage well, Li said.

It was not clear why the malfunction was not reported sooner.

The irradiator, which is operated by remote control, was in a sealed room secured with concrete and two layers of stainless steel, Li said. Daily inspections since have shown no leaks, he said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says cobalt-60 is increasingly used for sterilization of spices and that exposure to gamma radiation directly from cobalt-60 can increase a person's cancer risk.

[Associated Press; By AUDRA ANG]

Researcher Xi Yue contributed to this report.

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