<div><p>Police in central China said Thursday they had detained about 10 parents who protested over an industrial pollution incident that left more than 1,300 children with lead poisoning.</p><p>The government in Wugang city in Hunan province has also accused members of the banned Falungong spiritual group of fomenting unrest over the incident, one of a series of recent pollution-related health scares in the country.</p><p>"About 10 parents of the children blocked roads and rushed into government and police offices several days ago," a policeman at the Wenping station in Wugang told AFP by telephone.</p><p>"They either surrendered to police or were taken in by police," he said, refusing to identify himself.</p><p>A total of 1,354 children, or about 70 percent of those under the age of 14 that lived in four villages near a Wugang manganese smelting plant, were found last month to have unsafe levels of lead in their blood.</p><p>Lead poisoning is especially hazardous to children -- it can harm the nervous system and lead to stunted mental development.</p><p>The factory has since been shut down, plant executives have been detained and two officials from the local environmental protection bureau are under investigation for dereliction of duty.</p><p>"A handful of diehard Falungong practitioners from overseas have tried to influence the public with lies and rumours," the Wugang government said in a notice issued last week.</p><p>"You must maintain a high level of political alert and report any Falungong diehards seeking to foment the people with propaganda."</p><p>The notice urged locals to have faith in the government's efforts to resolve the issue.</p><p>China has viewed Falungong as a serious threat since more than 10,000 adherents surrounded Communist Party headquarters in central Beijing in 1999 in a demonstration against a crackdown on the group.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=57983750&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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