Sick Chinese kids doing bit for our environment

More than 600 children in two Chinese villages are being treated for lead poisoning.

So what is behind the demand for lead in China? Here's an answer:

"Lead is going to be an important metal to help us combat things such as global warming," said U.S. Silver's Hartmann, noting that energy from solar panels is stored in lead-acid batteries.

"It's a little bit ironic," he added, "that the green movement is such a large user of lead."

Cadmium, a by-product of lead mining, is also a major component of solar panels.

Earlier this year, Australia announced a major of investment of taxpayer funds in solar panels, most of which are expected to come from China. China is (naturally) the world's largest producer of solar cells.