China to sample pollution levels in soil

State-backed Xinhua news agency announced Wednesday that the government will conduct a nationwide soil survey following recent reports of cadmium-tainted rice, The Wall Street Journal reported. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the results from this survey will be made public. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is currently embroiled in a row with advocates demanding the release of earlier nationwide soil sampling test results, with the ministry refusing to do so on the grounds of state secrecy. This comes amid rising fears throughout China regarding the impact of soil contamination on food safety.