China’s national council, akin to a presidential cabinet, is looking into kindergartens in small towns near larger cities in the northwest.
This follows a major scandal involving the hospitalization of hundreds of children due to lead poisoning in late June.
Blood tests revealed that 233 out of 251 students at Hesipeisin Kindergarten, located near Maij in Tianshui, had elevated lead levels. Out of these, 201 students required hospitalization.
Investigators tested the children’s food and found significant lead contamination in two items—a steamed cake made with red dates and a corn sausage roll—both containing over 1,000 milligrams of lead per kilogram.
China’s food safety regulations set strict limits on lead content. The levels detected in the children can result in irreversible damage to the liver, stomach, brain, and nervous system.
Further inquiries revealed that the food contamination was ordered by Principal Zhu Moulin and financial supporter Li Moufang, who had purchased paint labeled as unsafe for consumption.
The outrage began with parents from Maige, who, along with doctors at local hospitals, attempted to downplay the severity of the lead poisoning.
Last week, Sky News dispatched several reporters to the town. Many residents expressed concern after local hospitals reported much lower lead levels in children’s blood compared to suburban hospitals. Parents began driving up to 200 miles to get their children treated at more reliable facilities.
“I don’t know a lot about this, but I sense something’s being hidden. It feels like the local governments are dark in this,” one mother shared.
Another parent lamented, “Who would dare send their child to kindergarten now?”
Reportedly, police had detained them for an extended period, which wasn’t unexpected given the gravity of the situation.
Sky News also covered how a video surfaced showing a school chef pouring paint powder into food, sparking outrage on social media as critics accused local and central governments of being slow to address the issue and revealing the full scope of contamination.
“Children just eat these cakes and rolls a few times a week. How did things get this serious?” questioned the mother of an affected child.
She continued, “If something’s wrong at the school, at least we deserve an explanation. But we’ve received nothing.”
Local parents reported that their children had started experiencing stomach aches, muscle pain, and loss of appetite back in March, indicating that they may have unknowingly ingested toxic substances for several months.
Authorities have since detained Zhu, Li, and six staff members from the kindergarten. According to police, school officials thought it would be a clever idea to mix paint into food to make it look more appealing in promotional materials, thinking it would help attract more students and increase funding.
The Council of State became involved over the weekend, deploying a task force to work with officials in Gans. The state team includes local Communist Party chief Hu Changsheng, and experts from the National Ministry of Environment and Health are reportedly now part of the investigation.
