More than 200 children in north-western China are hospitalized due to lead poisoning after school chefs used inedible paint as food decoration in a kindergarten, prompting arrests and an investigation into food safety regulations.
Lead Poisoning Crisis at Tianshui Kindergarten Affects Over 200 Children
Lead Poisoning Crisis at Tianshui Kindergarten Affects Over 200 Children
A serious food safety incident in China highlights the dangers of food decoration.
In a shocking food safety crisis, 233 children from the Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui City, Gansu province, have been hospitalized for lead poisoning after consuming food artificially decorated with toxic, inedible paint. Authorities have arrested eight individuals, including the school's principal, after tests revealed that food samples contained lead levels exceeding the national safety limit by 2,000 times.
According to a police statement, the kindergarten's principal instructed the kitchen staff to purchase the paint online. The food items affected included steamed red date cake and sausage corn buns, which showed alarming lead levels of 1052mg/kg and 1340mg/kg, respectively, far surpassing the permissible limit of 0.5mg/kg. Disturbingly, the paint used was clearly labeled as inedible.
Parents have expressed deep concerns for the long-term health repercussions of lead exposure on their children. One parent, Mr. Liu, recounted how he took his child to a hospital for testing after a fellow parent sounded the alarm about unusual symptoms such as stomach pain, leg pain, and loss of appetite that had reportedly been surfacing since March.
In a larger context, the Tianshui mayor, Liu Lijiang, acknowledged that this incident has exposed significant flaws in public food safety oversight, vowing that lessons would be learned to prevent similar scenarios in the future. The investigation is ongoing, with many parents fearful for their children’s health while grappling with the implications of systemic failures in food safety practices.
This incident raises broader questions about regulation and safety in childcare institutions and the enforcement of food safety standards across China. The need for stringent monitoring and compliance with safety regulations has never been more urgent in light of this troubling event.
