More than 200 children poisoned by food at school: Test results were falsified

CHINA - Ten officials in Gansu province are under investigation for negligence in supervision, after the provincial CDC and a local hospital were found to have falsified blood test results in a serious lead poisoning scandal at a kindergarten.

An official report released on the night of July 20 confirmed the previous discovery by police in Tianshui City (Gansu Province, China), showing that kitchen staff at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten mixed decorative paint into food served to students .

The incident came nearly two weeks after police in Tianshui City arrested eight people in connection with a lead poisoning case that left more than 200 kindergarten children with blood lead levels that exceeded the legal limit. The case shocked Chinese public opinion.

According to an investigation report released by the provincial government on Sunday (July 20), the Gansu Provincial CDC and the Tianshui Second People's Hospital manipulated the blood test procedures and results of students at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten.

Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in 2024. Photo: Heshi Peixin Kindergarten/WeChat

Those under investigation and likely to be disciplined and held personally responsible include the Party secretary of the Gansu Provincial Health Commission, the director of the Gansu Provincial CDC, the Party secretary of Tianshui City, and the city mayor.

The report also said that senior provincial leaders were “deeply saddened” by the incident and had apologized to the affected children and their families. Local authorities pledged to provide free treatment to the children and reimburse out-of-town medical expenses.

Test result correction, prolonged cover-up

According to a report on the Gansu provincial government website, from May 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, Tianshui No. 2 People's Hospital discovered 7 cases of children with abnormal blood lead levels, but 2 cases had their results corrected.

Specifically, one result was adjusted from 292.37 micrograms per liter (mcg/L) to 42.37 mcg/L; another was reduced from 440.14 mcg/L to 103 mcg/L. In medicine, a blood lead concentration of 250 mcg/L or higher is considered moderate poisoning, while 450 mcg/L or higher is severe poisoning.

Notably, the hospital failed to raise the alarm despite discovering that a student had abnormal blood test results in six consecutive tests over six months since November last year. The facility also failed to report the incident to superiors or notify the kindergarten.

The report also stated that the hospital had previously falsified blood lead test results in other cases. The disciplinary agency is currently expanding its investigation.

Meanwhile, the testing team at Gansu CDC - assigned to conduct testing under instructions from the provincial level - was also found to have seriously violated technical procedures and falsified results. They also used many tricks to evade responsibility and hinder the investigation process.

Kitchen staff accused of mixing paint into children's cake batter. Photo: Sky News

China Central Television (CCTV) reported on the evening of July 20 that the Gansu Provincial People's Hospital had taken over the operations of the Tianshui No. 2 People's Hospital due to the above serious scandal.

Decorative paint added to school food

Previous Chinese media reports said many parents took their children to other cities for testing, and found that their actual blood lead levels were much higher than the results provided by local hospitals.

The latest report confirms the initial findings of local police: Kitchen staff at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten bought decorative paint online, diluted it, and mixed it into food — with the consent of the principal, who was among eight suspects arrested earlier this month.

In addition, an investor named Ly and six kitchen staff were also detained for investigation into the act of "producing toxic and dangerous food".

The kindergarten is said to have chosen brightly coloured paint, which costs more than regular food colouring, despite the "not for food use" warning clearly written on the packaging.

Most of the students and teachers in the school are infected with lead.

The investigation results showed that 247/251 students and 28/34 staff members of the school had high blood lead levels. In addition, of the 72 students who graduated in 2023 and 2024 who were tested, 5 had abnormal results.

The report also confirmed that no sources of lead contamination were detected in the environment surrounding the school.

Three other kindergartens with the same investor behind them have not reported any lead poisoning.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vu-247-tre-bi-nhiem-doc-vi-thuc-an-o-truong-ket-qua-xet-nghiem-tung-bi-lam-gia-2423993.html