A district court in Shanghai has given an 18-month prison term to a man alleged to have profited from dumping tons of unprocessed chemical waste, which caused soil and water pollution.

The man named Xiao Cangwang chose two construction sites in Jiading District of Shanghai to dump dozens of tons of electrolytic waste containing poisonous chemicals such as hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and heptanone on three separate occasions between March and June this year.

The waste reportedly gave off a strong smell and a passer-by who came into contact with some of the chemicals experienced a burning sensation on his skin.

Xiao was caught by police when he went to the company that was source of the waste and tried to get paid on June 16 this year.

Police investigation found that, using a forged license for dangerous waste disposal, Xiao had signed a waste disposal contract with a Shanghai chemical plant.

Xiao was sentenced to prison and fined 100,000 yuan (12,500 U.S. dollars) for causing serious environmental pollution, according to a ruling made Monday by the People's Court of Jiading District.

Tests carried out by the local environment monitoring authorities showed that concentration levels of the poisonous hydrochloride and chloric fluoride pollutants in the affected areas were 150 times and 550 times higher than national limits.

Water was also severely contaminated. The cost of treating the waste at the two dump sites reached 330,000 yuan (41,250 U.S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua