Kindergarten Children Exhibit Abnormal Symptoms After Meals
Vomiting, Dizziness, and Tooth Discoloration Reported
Nineteen Children Undergoing Detoxification Treatment
After eating food at a kindergarten in Gansu Province, northwest China, a number of children reported abnormal symptoms such as the roots of their teeth turning black. They were subsequently diagnosed with collective lead poisoning.
Kindergarten student in China with some teeth blackened due to suspected lead poisoning. Photo by Yonhap News
According to local Chinese media outlets such as Jimu News and Hongxing News on July 7, it was recently revealed that the blood lead levels of students who ate food provided by a kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province, exceeded the normal standard.
According to reports, test results received by several parents at Xi'an Central Hospital between July 3 and 4 showed that most children's blood lead levels ranged from 200 to 500 micrograms per liter (μg/L). This is significantly higher than the normal standard of 100 μg/L or below. In one case, a student's blood lead level was 528 μg/L, more than five times the normal value.
An incident occurred at a kindergarten in Gansu Province, northwest China, where students were collectively diagnosed with lead poisoning. Baidu
The children exhibited symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, and hair loss, and in some cases, their teeth turned black. It is reported that around 20 individuals underwent testing.
Local authorities suspect that additives in the "three-color jujube steamed buns" and "corn sausage rolls" served at the kindergarten may have exceeded permissible limits.
Meanwhile, some parents have raised the possibility that test results may have been manipulated, claiming that general hospitals in Tianshui, where the kindergarten is located, informed them that their children's blood lead levels were normal. Jimu News reported, "Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for lead poisoning," and added, "There is criticism that inaccurate test results can seriously threaten children's health."
As of now, at least 19 children have been hospitalized and are reportedly undergoing detoxification treatment.
The teachers claim that they are also victims. The childcare teachers state that they only brought the food into the classroom and distributed it to the children, and were not involved in the food manufacturing process. They also said they were unaware that the food contained lead.
Authorities have conducted investigations on food and tap water. Currently, more than 200 samples are being retested at the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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