More than 200 children poisoned with lead in China after consuming food decoration
More than 200 children in a Chinese kindergarten have been hospitalised with lead poisoning after unknowingly eating inedible paint which was used to decorate their food.
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233 children from Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui City in Gansu province had high levels of lead in their blood after tucking into steamed red date cake and sausage corn bun.
The principal of the kindergarten, and seven others, have been arrested and are being investigated after tests showed the food samples had lead levels that were 2,000 times over the national safety limit.
It was discovered that the red date cake and the sausage corn buns had lead levels of 1052mg/kg and 1340mg/kg respectively, which both exceed the national food safety standard limit of 0.5mg/kg.
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The school principal asked the kitchen staff to buy the paint online, according to a police statement.
When the children got ill, officers had to search for the supplies which had been hidden.
Chinese state media showed footage of staff adding paint pigment to the food, which it said was from CCTV cameras.
There is uncertainty surrounding how long paint has been used in the food. However, several parents have said their children have experienced health issues including a lack of appetite and leg pain as early as March.