A Chinese man was sentenced to 18 months in jail for illegally dumping chemical waste, state press reported Tuesday. Xiao Cangwang dumped 39 tons of unprocessed construction site waste that contained poisonous chemicals including hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride on three occasions between March and June in Shanghai, the China Daily said.
The waste, which emitted a strong odor and caused skin irritations for one passer-by, cost the authorities 330,000 yuan (41,770 dollars) to clean up, according to a Shanghai court cited by the newspaper.
The maximum penalty for people convicted of causing serious environmental pollution is seven years in prison, it said.
Xiao, 40, dumped the chemical waste by the side of the road and at another construction site on behalf of a chemical manufacturer for a fee, it said.
Reports of businesses and individuals being punished for dumping chemicals and other waste — a common practice that has significantly contributed to China's vast environmental woes — rarely surface in the national press.
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