China Comes to Grips with Poisons Underfoot

Severe Soil Contamination Uncovered by Eight Years Nationwide Research

Pollution that is easily perceptible in China's rivers and urban air has gotten a lot of attention in recent years.

Now a less obvious environmental concern with equally serious repercussions—soil contamination—is getting the attention it deserves thanks to a first-of-its-kind nationwide study that documents a heavy toll on China's farms, forests, and grasslands.