More than 200 children are suffering from lead poisoning in north-west China after food decorated with inedible paint was served at a kindergarten. Hospitalization records reveal that 233 students from Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui City, Gansu province, tested positive for alarmingly high levels of lead in their blood after eating contaminated dishes, including steamed red date cake and sausage corn buns.
Following extensive testing, it was discovered that the food samples contained lead levels 2,000 times above national safety standards, prompting the arrest of eight individuals, including the kindergarten's principal. Investigators revealed that the school staff ordered the toxic paint online, despite it being clearly marked inedible.
Parents voiced their fears over potential long-term health effects, with one father stating his son now requires a 10-day medical treatment for the poisoning. Reports surfaced of children suffering from stomach pain, leg pain, and a lack of appetite since before the alarming incident.
Footage emerged, allegedly from CCTV in the kitchen, showing staff mixing paint pigments into the food. Tests showed lead levels of 1052mg/kg in the red date cake and 1340mg/kg in corn sausage rolls, both far exceeding the safe limit of 0.5mg/kg.
The city's mayor, Liu Lijiang, acknowledged serious failings in the public food safety system, promising to implement measures to prevent future occurrences. Despite the ongoing investigation into the circumstances and time frame surrounding the paint’s use, local authorities are under growing pressure to address food safety governance in kindergartens across the region.
