BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhuanet) --More than 30 employees at shoe and leather bag-making factories in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong province, have suffered glue poisoning and have been hospitalized, according to the Beijing Morning Post.
It is reported that employees' eyes were glazed over, their hands shook continually, they experienced incontinence and displayed symptoms of memory loss.
Since last November, the Guangzhou No.12 Hospital has received 32 patients poisoned by glue. Of those cases which were serious, one patient has been discharged from hospital after making a recovery, one died, three have been transferred to other hospitals and 15 are still in serious conditions, as confirmed by Liu Yimin, vice dean of the hospital.
By January 19, 2012, a total of 37 patients in Guangzhou had been poisoned by glue. The patients worked across 37 workshops, 35 of which operated without licenses. Low quality glue and poor ventilation contributed to the acute occupational poisoning, according to the newspaper report.
After the issue was made public a month ago, the local government has carried out rigorous investigations within residential communities, where unlicensed workshops are thought to be operating. As a result, a number of illegal workshops have been closed down.
Following initial investigations, six individuals have been detained for selling low quality glue or illegally storing hazardous chemicals.
Dichloroethane, the main ingredient in glue, can cause cancer. It enters the body and causes poisoning through the respiratory tract, the alimentary tract and skin.