Officials and hospital staff attempted to cover up the large-scale lead poisoning of 235 Chinese children, according to research. Blood tests were among the things tampered with. The children became ill after eating non-edible paint on food.
On July 8, 235 children suffered lead poisoning after eating non-edible paint on food in a daycare center in the Chinese province of Gansu. Most had severely elevated lead levels in their blood.
The blood tests were tampered with in the hospital, according to research obtained by BBC News. Hospital staff were “not meticulous” with the results. Food safety inspections were also prevented.
The non-edible paint was used to make the meals look more attractive, in the hope that this would lead to more registrations of children, the report shows.
A total of six people have been arrested, including the director of the kindergarten, the cooks, and an investor. The functioning of ten other people involved is also being examined.
One Child Still in Hospital
The date cakes and cornbread that the children ate were smeared with paint that exceeded the limit for lead levels by a factor of two thousand.
A total of 235 children became ill, 234 of whom were discharged from the hospital on Sunday. One child is still in the hospital. It is not clear what his or her condition is. Treatment for these children was free. Legal assistance has also been made available to affected families.
The Chinese government has tightened national guidelines for providing meals on campuses. For example, each batch of food must be tested, and rice, flour, and cooking oil must be purchased from central purchasing points.