BEIJING, June 12 (UPI) -- A top pharmaceutical firm in China publicly apologized for fouling the air with pollution from one of its plants in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.
"The group would like to accept any penalties for our wrongdoing to the local environment," Wu Zhijun, head of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, identified as one of China's largest drug makers, said in a letter of apology.
China Daily reported Monday Wu said the company and its management team took "unshirkable" responsibility for the pollution he said had harmful effects on people living near the plant in northeastern China.
Last week, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported the plant had been accused of violating limits on discharges of pollutants, and that it had not done enough since 2004 to eliminate the causes of pollutants it discharges during production. The report said the discharges were causing a foul odor bad enough to force some nearby residents to wear masks and close the windows of their homes, and others to complain of windpipe infections.
The report said the stench had been traced to the plant's section where penicillin is produced, which leads to emissions of hydrogen sulfide gas when the plant's wastewater is treated.
Local residents were not satisfied by the company's apology, China Daily said.
"The apology is a cliche -- nothing more than a show to calm the public," said Tian Jiawei, a senior doctor at a nearby hospital affiliated with Harbin Medical University. She said the toxic waste emissions had been rising as the plant has increased output.
