Over 250 kindergartners in Gansu Province, China, have been compromised due to high levels of lead from tainted food. Authorities are now admitting to a cover-up involving manipulated medical records and insufficient safety inspections.
Chinese Lead Poisoning Scandal Uncovered: Officials Accused of Cover-Up
Chinese Lead Poisoning Scandal Uncovered: Officials Accused of Cover-Up
An investigation reveals that Gansu health officials manipulated blood tests, concealing severe lead poisoning affecting numerous children.
In a shocking revelation, health officials in China admitted to manipulating blood test results in a scandal involving lead poisoning that impacted over 250 kindergarten children in Gansu Province. The case has prompted widespread condemnation and raised further concerns about food safety regulations in the country.
The investigation, initiated by the Gansu provincial Communist Party and government, exposed that the lead poisoning resulted from the use of unapproved powdered pigments as food coloring in meals provided at a kindergarten in Tianshui. These pigments had alarming lead content, exceeding national food safety standards by a staggering margin of 2,000 times.
Authorities have disclosed that education officials in Tianshui overlooked the unlicensed status of the kindergarten and ignored illicit gifts from an investor associated with the school. The findings point to systemic negligence, with food safety inspections described as superficial.
Public outcry was already growing due to the lead poisoning incident when the final report was made public, confirming parents’ fears of an attempted cover-up. Many families had sought independent testing in other provinces after developing concerns regarding their children's health.
Nauseatingly, one child was found to have dangerously elevated lead levels six times during a six-month period, starting November 2024. Alarmingly, the Tianshui No. 2 People’s Hospital failed to issue any health alerts. Further investigations revealed that medical records for two other children with elevated lead levels were falsified, with one documented to have a blood lead level nearly seven times lower than the actual value.
The multi-layered mistrust exposed by this scandal illustrates a critical breakdown in public health safety protocols and the need for stringent accountability measures within educational and health institutions in China.
