More than 200 children are being treated in hospital with lead poisoning in north-west China after school chefs used inedible paint to decorate their food.

Eight people have been arrested after tests showed the food samples from a kindergarten in Tianshui City in Gansu province had lead levels that were 2,000 times over the national safety limit.

In total, 233 children from Peixin Kindergarten had high levels of lead in their blood after eating steamed red date cake and sausage corn bun.

  • Deestan@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    The school principal asked the kitchen staff to buy the paint online

    officers had to search for the supplies which had been hidden.

    The paint was clearly marked as inedible

    I’m amazed if a single person employed at this school is not going to prison.

      • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        If there were a crime which deserved the death penalty (there isn’t), intentionally poisoning more than 200 children would be it. It’s technically possible that they’re really negligent and stupid, but hiding the paint was definitely intentional and probably caused additional harm by delaying treatment.

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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        21 hours ago

        Sometimes, or sometimes they get a pass based on connections. Those aren’t mutually exclusive, either; scapegoats have long been a useful political tool.

      • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        good.

        it’s rare I give praise to China, this is probably the first and only time.

        you would think if people were afraid of losing their own lives, shit like this would stop. unfortunately China (and all of Asia really) has a culture problem with “just following orders” even at the detriment of their own lives.