In July 2014, Zhang Wenqi found that Guangyuan Paper Co. Ltd. and Zhihui Science and Technology Co. Ltd. — two companies connected to Henan Jianghe Paper Co. Ltd Wuzhi County— were producing CVL without permission from the local industry and commerce authority. Zhang tipped off environmental authorities that he witnessed the companies simply burying the waste near the industrial park where all three companies are located. In June 2016, the Henan provincial environmental monitoring authority confirmed that the companies were manufacturing CVL and ordered that the production line be disassembled. However, in March 2017, county police detained Zhang after Jianghe reported that his accusation led to the company's financial losses. They also accused him of using a false identity for profit. Consequently, in July 2018, the whistleblower has been sentenced to 17 months in prison for "disturbing market order" after reporting industrial pollution.