Pollution Forces Pregnant Women to Leave Chinese Village

Pollution from a medicine factory in central China creates a sour smell in the air, makes ground water salty and unclear, and drives pregnant women to move away to give birth.

A woman collects a sample of the red polluted water flowing from a sewer into the Jian River in Luoyang, in central China's Henan Province, on Dec. 13, 2011. Pollution from a medicine factory in Daliuying Village in Henan Province creates a sour smell in the air, and makes underground water salty and unclear, state news media recently reported. STR/AFP/Getty Images

All windows and doors are kept closed shut all day and all night in Daliuying Village in central China’s Henan Province. The acidity in the air is so terrible, it’s the least people can do to avoid the smell.

The drinking water seems even worse and looks like starch. The river has a reddish-yellow color. The source of the pollution is a medicine factory a mile away from Daliuying.

Living here is very depressing… We don't dare go out because of the smell. When I do go out I can't keep my eyes open.

— Chinese villager, Henan Province