【Epoch Times December 17, 2025】Several employees of Jiangxi Yuehai New Energy Co., Ltd. in Jiangxi Province have high levels of lead in their blood, but despite multiple complaints from employees and their families to relevant departments, no action has been taken so far, sparking concerns.
Jiangxi Yuehai New Energy Co., Ltd. is located in the sulfur and phosphorus chemical base in Guixi City, Jiangxi Province, and is a company engaged in the production of sealed lead-acid batteries. According to reports from Netease News and “East Net”, in August last year, an employee in the company’s coating workshop went to the hospital due to stomach discomfort and unexpectedly found dust shadows during examination. Subsequent blood lead tests revealed levels exceeding 700μg/L (the normal reference upper limit is 200μg/L). Following this, several coworkers who felt unwell went to the hospital for self-paid testing.
Analysis of the test reports collected showed that at least 7 workers had significantly elevated levels of lead in their blood, ranging from a minimum of 500μg/L to nearly 700μg/L. Workers estimate that there are more than ten people in just the coating workshop alone with elevated levels, and some out-of-town employees with elevated levels have chosen to resign.
Several workers have mentioned that the dust problem in the workshop is severe, and the company’s protective equipment is seriously inadequate, with only 15 KN95 masks distributed per month. It was not until several people were “poisoned” that better protective gas masks were provided.
Furthermore, some employees stated that although they received materials about occupational hazards upon joining the company, they did not truly understand the content, and some were unaware of the toxicity of lead. Some employees also struggled to wear masks due to breathing difficulties during work.
After the blood lead levels exceeded the standard, workers frequently experienced symptoms such as abdominal pain, hand tremors, dizziness, and fatigue, with some even fainting. However, the company did not arrange for them to visit a specialized hospital for occupational diseases but instead arranged for so-called “lead removal treatments” at Guixi Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and a local health clinic, which lacked the necessary treatment conditions.
As a result, some employees and their families have lodged multiple complaints alleging environmental issues at Yuehai, questioning the unauthorized medical treatment, requesting the company’s cooperation in the occupational disease identification process, and have even reported the situation to the provincial health commission. However, no action has been taken so far.
According to family members of the workers, the company is only willing to cover the unified treatment costs, rejecting claims for “self-initiated” medical treatment and denying it as an occupational injury.
Following the online attention the incident garnered, on December 16th, the Guixi Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee in Jiangxi reported that a task force had been established, organizing comprehensive health checks for all employees of the company and conducting on-site assessments of the company’s production environment. Subsequent actions will be taken based on the evaluation results.