Russian authorities have banned fishing and swimming in the Amur this year following test results on river water that have found unidentified toxic substances.
Russia says that most of the pollution is coming from Chinese factories.
(AFP)
Chinese Chemical Spill
A slick of toxic benzene and other chemicals is moving from China's Songhua River toward the Amur River in Russia's Far East. Russian authorities fear the consequences when the 80-kilometer-long toxic slick reaches the city of Khabarovsk, which relies on the Amur for its water supply.
Officials say supplies of clean water and filtering charcoal are being stockpiled in Khabarovsk. Russian authorities have warned that more than 1 million people living along the Amur could be affected by the contaminants. The spill is the result of an explosion on November 13, 2005, at a Chinese chemical plant in the city of Jilin....(more)
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After Chinese Toxic Spill, Russian Environmentalists Raise Concerns About Ecological Policy