One fifth of China soil contaminated

Almost a fifth of China's soil is contaminated, an official study released by the government has shown. Conducted between 2005-2013, it found that 16.1% of China's soil and 19.4% of its arable land showed contamination. The report, by the Environmental Protection Ministry, named cadmium, nickel and arsenic as top pollutants. There is growing concern, both from the government and the public, that China's rapid industrialisation is causing irreparable damage to its environment. The study took samples across an area of 6.3 million square kilometres, two-thirds of China's land area, according to BBC.