More than 100 families at a downtown residential area have claimed they have been forced to close their windows for two years to keep out fumes that have damaged their health.
The fumes come from Shanghai Daming Rubber and Leather Plant run by disabled workers only 10 meters away from the buildings.
"We have complained to related departments and district authorities several times, but they have not provided a solution," said Zhang Songchuan, a resident living in the Wuyiyuan residential area on Wuyi Road, in Changning District.
Of the 13 buildings in the residential complex, three are close to the the rubber plant.
Zhang bought an apartment in one of the three buildings two years ago, soon after the residential area was completed.
He found he had to close the windows, even in summer, because the fumes from the factory were "unbearable."
According to Zhang, the fumes are strongest at night, about three to four days a week.
He suspected the fumes caused the throat disorders suffered by his wife and daughter.
The complex's neighborhood committee said they have handled many similar complaints and forwarded them to authorities, but the problem is difficult to solve because the factory is for special workers.
"It can't be simply shut down because it would be difficult to find new positions for these disabled workers," said a committee official surnamed Liu.
The complex's developer was accused of being dishonest as they had promised the plant would be moved as part of the apartment sales promotion.
The gatekeeper said some families had already moved due to the problem.
Factory officials claimed the discharge met environmental standards and would not harm people's health.
They insisted it was unreasonable for the factory to move because it had been there long before the complex was built.
"The urban planning authority should have considered us before they decided to allow a residential complex to be built next door," said Yang Dalong with the Shanghai Daming.