China has expanded the probe into a kindergarten lead poisoning scandal in which more than 200 children were found with abnormally high levels of lead in their blood – and after claims that the school had added paint to their food to make it look more enticing.
The South China Morning Post reports that the central government is now getting involved in a rare intervention in a provincial investigation, alongside the Health Ministry and a task force from the State Council, the country’s cabinet.
Last week it was reported that 233 of 251 children at the kindergarten in Tianshui had abnormal blood lead levels, with police suspecting the school of using inedible paint to add colour to food and detaining eight people, including the principal.
Most of the children are being treated in hospitals in Xian, capital of the neighbouring Shaanxi province, but some parents have taken their children to Beijing and Shanghai for further diagnosis.
The children are being treated with a drip of sodium calcium edetate, which binds to lead in the body and helps it pass through the kidneys, according to the media outlet Caixin.
Parents have called on the local government to cover their medical and transport bills, provide compensation for their mental distress, and ensure the children are given free check-ups every year.
“We want to see evidence of whether the paint was actually put in the food, or whether poisoning possibilities, including from underground water, factories or buildings, have been eliminated,” one parent said.
The report said that almost 100 children have blood lead levels of more than 200 micrograms per litre (mcg/L).
National health guidelines say a blood lead level over 100mcg/L should be considered elevated and more than 200mcg/L should be considered lead poisoning.
This guidance is less strict than the global standard, with the World Health Organisation’s latest guidelines saying that blood lead levels over 50mcg/L need clinical intervention.
China drafted a new set of regulations in 2021 stating that for children under six, a blood lead level of 50 to 100mcg/L could lead to slow growth, damage cognitive levels and cause attention deficits, but there has not been any word on whether the proposed changes were under review or would be implemented.
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