In a bid to address public concerns over heavy metal poisoning, the Chinese government is considering a set of technical standards and management policies to prevent such pollution.

"Along with other departments, we are researching on a set of technical standards, management policies and measures to prevent heavy metal pollution such as lead and mercury poisoning," said Zhou Shengxian, minister of environmental protection, at a meeting Friday.

Zhou didn't give more information on the standards, but said that a catalogue of high-polluting heavy metal products was completed.

In August 2009, a smelting plant in northwest China's Shaanxi Province was shut down amid public anger over heavy metal discharges that had left some 851 children ill with lead poisoning.

Excessive amounts of lead in the body can harm nervous and reproductive systems and cause high blood pressure and anemia. In severe cases, it can lead to convulsions, coma and even death.

Statistics from the ministry show that last year, a total of 2,183 heavy metal companies were punished for illegal operations and 231 were shut down.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2010)