BEIJING - Equipment from a smelting plant in western China has been destroyed after hundreds of villagers were sickened with lead poisoning from waste discharged by the factory, the Xinhua News Agency said.

At least 368 villagers from Xinsi and Moba in Gansu province have been diagnosed with lead poisoning and hundreds more fell ill last month, state media and local officials have said.

The poisonings added to a string of recent pollution disasters in China that have prompted violent protests in some areas.

Authorities have found that the Huixian County Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting Plant "failed to conduct an environmental assessment" in 2004 after upgrading its equipment.

Its waste disposal equipment also did not meet national standards, Xinhua said, citing Wan Yue, an official with the State Environmental Protection Administration.

Local officials have said the waste was discharged into the air and villagers started feeling sick in August.

The plant has been shut down and is being dismantled.

Excessive amounts of lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and cause high blood pressure and anemia. Lead poisoning is characterized by a blue line around the gums and in severe cases can cause convulsions, coma and death.