"Diluted and Used in Some Food Preparation Processes"
"Eight People, Including Director and Investor, Detained According to the Law"
After eating food at a kindergarten in Gansu Province, China, children were diagnosed with lead poisoning. It has been revealed that the kindergarten director and an investor made food using inedible paint pigment.
According to several media outlets, including China's state-run CCTV, on July 8, Director Zhu and investor Li instructed kitchen staff to purchase paint pigment online. This pigment was then diluted and used in some food preparation processes.
A case occurred in a kindergarten in Gansu Province, northwest China, where the children were collectively diagnosed with lead poisoning, and it was revealed that the kindergarten director and an investor had ordered it, sparking controversy. Baidu
According to reports, in the early morning of July 3, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security discovered and confiscated pigment hidden at the kindergarten. Tests revealed that the pigment contained lead. The pigment packaging was labeled "inedible." Investigators also found that food samples stored at the kindergarten contained excessive levels of lead. The lead content measured 1,052 mg/kg in tricolor jujube steamed buns and 1,340 mg/kg in corn sausage rolls. These figures far exceed the national food safety standard of 0.5 mg/kg.
This kindergarten, established in June 2022 and in operation since late August of that year, currently has 251 children enrolled. As of the afternoon of July 7, blood tests had been completed for all 251 children. According to the medical team's assessment, 233 children were found to have elevated blood lead levels.
Currently, the Gansu Provincial Health Commission has dispatched six experts to the kindergarten, and three experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention are also providing relief guidance.
China National Radio reported that "public security authorities have detained eight people, including Zhu and Li, on charges of producing toxic and harmful food in accordance with the law." The report added, "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-corruption agency, has already initiated an investigation and will strictly hold those responsible accountable and impose punishments in accordance with regulations on dereliction of duty and abuse of power."
It is known that the parents of the kindergarten children requested examinations after their children exhibited unusual symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, leg pain, and black spots on their gums since the previous semester. These symptoms were initially misdiagnosed as common illnesses, but in late June, parents themselves discovered through testing that their children's blood lead levels were high, bringing the truth to light.
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