CCTV9英语新闻：甘肃兰州自来水含苯量超标

CCTV9英语新闻：甘肃兰州自来水含苯量超标

甘肃兰州发生一起自来水恐慌事件。兰州环保局表示经过测试，该市自来水含苯量严重超标。

There's been a major tap water scare in downtown Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province. The city's environmental protection office says excessive levels of benzene were found, during tests carried out in the early hours of Friday.

The tests showed normal tap water contained around 200 micrograms of benzene per liter, far exceeding the national limit of ten micrograms.

Lanzhou's urban tap water is managed by Veolia Water, with the company supplying more than two million people in the area.

The water supply has now been switched off in many urban areas, and bottled water is being distributed to residents by the local government. Efforts are underway to dilute the presence of benzene in the water system, by adding other non-toxic chemicals.

Many residents have been rushing to local supermarkets, with stocks of bottled water completely running out in some places.

An investigation into the source of the contamination is underway.