 A recent study of the area evaluated the extent of heavy metal contamination from the site.Using dust samples, scientists analysed mean heavy metal concentrations in a Guiyu workshop and found that lead and copper were 371 and 115 times higher, respectively, compared to areas located 30 kilometres away.The same study revealed that sediment from the nearby Lianjiang River was found to be contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls at a level three times greater than the guideline amount.