Wugang (China), Aug 21 (Xinhua) Over 1,300 children are suspected to have suffered lead poisoning in central China's Hunan province, leading to a smelter being shut down and two of the plant executives being detained. In a similar incident, 851 children had fallen ill due to lead poisoning in Shaanxi province.

At least 1,354 children in Wenping town of Wugang city were diagnosed with having excessive lead in their blood, with more than 100 mg of lead per litre of blood compared to the normal zero to 100 mg, an official with the city government said Thursday.

They made up nearly 70 percent of the total 1,956 children who received government-funded blood tests at local hospitals this week, he said.

The children, aged under 14, are from four villages near Wugang Manganese Smelting Plant in Wenping town. However, another test has to be carried out by the industrial illness authority in the provincial capital Changsha before the final diagnosis, the official said.

By Thursday, 83 cases had been confirmed by the Changsha authority. Seventeen were diagnosed as 'moderate poisoning' with blood lead level between 250 and 499 mg, 28 as 'slight poisoning' with 200 to 249 mg and another 38 with 100 to 199 mg.

The 17 moderate poisoning cases have been hospitalised in Changsha and will receive free treatment, while the slight cases would be treated at home. Final test results for the other suspected cases will be published within a week.

Fears of lead poisoning began to spread among the villagers in early July, when many children suddenly became susceptible to cold and suffered fevers and anorexia.