(Adnkronos) – An official investigation has revealed that dozens of provincial officials and health workers attempted to cover up the serious case of lead poisoning that affected 235 children in a private kindergarten in Tianshui, in the Chinese province of Gansu. Blood tests of the Peixin kindergarten pupils were tampered with and local inspectors ignored food safety checks, while some officials accepted bribes from an investor in the facility.
According to the report, the school cooks allegedly used non-edible paint to make meals visually more appealing, including red date cakes and sausage and corn sandwiches, which were later found to contain lead levels 2,000 times higher than the legal limit. Eight people involved in food preparation were initially arrested; among these, six – including the principal, the cooks and an investor – ended up in jail. Seventeen officials are under disciplinary investigation and ten will be subjected to accounting procedures.
The Tianshui No. 2 People’s Hospital was accused of “serious negligence” in handling the case, while the provincial disease control center falsified the test results. The central government, on the other hand, was praised for its rapid response and launched new national guidelines for school meals. Children affected by poisoning will be able to receive free treatment and legal assistance, while the Peixin school will temporarily be managed by a state kindergarten.
