Latest news with #Peixin Kindergarten
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
China kindergarten poisoning: Investigation finds cover-up as six arrested
Dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff attempted to cover up a lead poisoning case that made hundreds of children sick in north-west China and sparked widespread outrage, an official investigation has officials tampered with the blood tests of students who were poisoned at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city, Gansu provincial authorities said in a report on officials also accepted bribes from an investor in Peixin while neglecting food safety inspections across several pre-schools, the report an attempt to attract more students, Peixin chefs had used inedible paint to "enhance the look" of its meals, the report said. Food samples were later found to contain lead 2,000 times in excess of the national safety people were initially detained for their involvement in producing the toxic snacks. Six of them - including the kindergarten's principal, cooks, and an investor - have been arrested, according to the report. Ten other officials will face "formal accounting procedures" while another 17 people are under disciplinary revealed on 8 July that 235 children from the privately-owned kindergarten were being treated in hospital for lead poisoning after eating steamed red date cakes and sausage corn buns. As of Sunday, 234 of them have been Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention was ordered to test 267 students and staff at Peixin after some showed symptoms earlier this month, but officials "did not take the work seriously". The person in charge of the tests "seriously violated operating procedures, which distorted the results", according to the report named several people under investigation and set out lead concentrations of various food samples, among other also accused staff at the Tianshui No. 2 People's Hospital of "serious dereliction of duty" and described the institution's management of the case as "chaotic". The Chinese internet paid keen attention to the report, with some commending what they see as transparent disclosure and others asking for perpetrators in this case to be held accountable. In contrast to its chiding of provincial and city-level officials, the report said there was "quick response" from the central government, which convened an expert panel "at the earliest opportunity" to review any gaps in Monday, China published a set of national guidelines for the provision of meals on campuses. Among other things, it mandates that every new batch of food must be tested, and that rice, flour and cooking oil must be bought at centralised procurement points. Authorities in Tianshui have also announced that children suffering from lead poisoning can receive free treatment at designated hospitals and legal assistance will be made available to affected families. Peixin will be temporarily managed by a state-owned kindergarten.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
More Than 200 Children Get Lead Poisoning from Food Served at an Elementary School
More than 200 young students were found to have high levels of lead in their blood due to paint allegedly being added to their school food Cake and corn roll sausages served to children at Peixin Kindergarten in the Chinese city of Tianshui caused the high levels, test results showed Several people, including the school's principal, have since been arrested as the investigation remains ongoingSeveral people have been arrested after more than 200 young students were found to have high levels of lead in their blood due to paint allegedly being added to their food at school. An investigation was launched into Peixin Kindergarten in the Chinese city of Tianshui on July 1, after authorities received reports from the public of abnormally high levels of lead in the blood of some of the children attending the school, CNN and local outlet CCTV News reported. According to the city's government report, which was obtained by CCTV News, lead was found in 'three-color red date steamed cake' that was served for breakfast, as well as 'a corn roll sausage" that was provided "for dinner.' 'The lead content of the two samples was 1,052 mg/kg and 1,340 mg/kg, respectively, both exceeding the national food safety standard of 0.5 mg/kg for food contaminants,' the report stated, per the local outlet. CCTV News added that test results showed that 233 of the 251 children enrolled had abnormal blood lead levels. Nearby schools Weibei Kindergarten, Ci'ai Kindergarten and Mengdi'ai Kindergarten were also tested, but the blood results from those students showed normal levels. According to the government report, principal Zhu Moulin and Li Moufang, who backed the school financially, allegedly instructed the establishment's kitchen staff to buy paint online and use it in some food production after dilution. The paint used contained lead with 'packaging clearly marked that it was not edible," the report stated. Video footage obtained by the U.K.'s Sky News shows a kitchen staff member allegedly pouring the paint into a bowl, before being helped by another staff member to prepare the food. Moulin, Moufang and eight others were eventually detained on suspicion of producing toxic and harmful food, while two others, whose identities have not been made public, were put on bail pending trial, CCTV News reported. Peixin Kindergarten obtained a certificate to run the school in 2022, and students were later enrolled in August 2024, the local outlet added. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The government report said officials "are deeply saddened by the physical and mental harm caused to the children and parents of Maiji District Peixin Kindergarten." It added that the investigation into the situation remains ongoing. Peixin Kindergarten could not immediately be reached by PEOPLE for comment on Sunday, July 13. Read the original article on People
