Over 200 Chinese children poisoned after school used paint in food: summary

What we know

• Over 200 children in a kindergarten in northwestern China have been found with high levels of lead in their blood after kitchen staff used paint pigments to colour their food.
• Authorities in Tianshui city say 233 of the school’s 251 children were affected, with most now undergoing medical treatment and over 200 currently in hospital.
• The illegal use of industrial-grade paint was allegedly approved by the school’s principal and a financial backer, both of whom are now in custody with six other suspects.
• Local media reports say some children may have suffered long-term lead exposure, which can cause serious harm to development and health.
• Samples of school food, including breakfast cake and sausage rolls, had lead levels more than 2,000 times higher than China’s national food safety limit.

What they said

 The Tianshui city government said the school’s principal and others were detained “on suspicion of producing toxic and harmful food.” A local paediatrics professor was cited in media reports as saying, “There could be chronic lead poisoning, meaning exposure over a period of more than three months.”