Cadmium exposure incident
In 2004, GP Batteries were found to have caused excessive cadmium exposure, even cadmium poisoning, in a large number of mainland Chinese workers. Ten cases of poisoning have been recorded on the mainland and four in Hong Kong, while the total number with cadmium levels exceeding safety limits has surpassed 400. Affected individuals have exhibited symptoms including dizziness, fatigue, impaired sense of smell, and pain in the lower back and limbs.
On 23 July 2004, more than 40 labour and human rights groups protested at the headquarters of GP Batteries. The organizations included the Globalisation Monitor, the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee, and the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. Deputy general manager of GP Batteries, Brenda Lee Wong Yuk-wan, responded that out of 1,000 employees tested, 400 were found to have "higher than normal" cadmium levels, but 2,000 in mainland China remained untested.
In 2006 more than 100 female factory workers in southern China attempted to sue their former employers (GP) over suspected cadmium poisoning. It is reported that workers at GP factories have been routinely exposed to dust of cadmium, an extremely toxic metal used in the manufacture of Nickel-cadmium batteries that can cause kidney failure, cancer, and bone disease.
On 24 August 2010, over a hundred workers protested outside GP's factory in Huizhou. GP had promised compensation to workers affected by poisoning but severely reduced the negotiated amount, making a "take it or leave it" offer.
Karin Mak's documentary Red Dust follows female workers fighting for medical care from their former employer, China's GP Batteries factory, after suffering years of cadmium poisoning.
