Toxins Floating from China to Russia

You may have read about the explosion at a China National Petroleum Corporation on November 13 in Jilin Province,China. A story in the China Daily Press compared the sound to an atomic bomb and then minimized the explosion by comparing it to such. The government said, "We express our sincere condolences to the families of the dead and the injured."

Five people were killed and 10,000 immediately evacuated. But the release of some 100 tons of benzene compounds into the Songhua River by the explosion was not immediately mentioned.

The water supply for some 12 million people was ruined, and the 50-mile slick is now floating down the Songhua River toward Russia.

Now some 20 days later, the Chinese Goverment is still reeling, and coming under increasing attack from its Chinese citizenry and international bodies. The goverment has fired the Environment Chief, and more are expected.

What a mess: If the Chinese government had acted quickly to contain the slick, even if the attempts had failed, the positive press from their efforts would have helped mitigate any failures. If only the Chinese government had learned something from watching the disasterously slow response of the U.S.G. to Hurricane Katrina.

When will governments realize that fast action with sincere intent can go a long way toward making its citizens willing to give them time to make things right?