Nursery Owner Jailed For Life In China Over Mass Lead Poisoning
· World · BBC News, NDTV
A nursery owner in Tianshui, Gansu province, has been sentenced to life in prison after 247 pupils and staff were found with dangerously high blood lead levels. Li Huifang, who operated the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten, was convicted of producing and selling toxic food after kitchen staff used inedible paint to enhance the appearance of meals. Food samples tested by investigators contained lead levels up to 2,000 times in excess of national safety limits. The Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court also ordered the confiscation of 500,000 yuan of Li's personal assets and handed down a 15-year prison sentence to executive principal Zhi Jinglin. Four kitchen staff received sentences ranging from six to eight years for adding the toxic ingredients on instructions from the leadership. Officials subsequently discovered that dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff attempted to cover up the incident by tampering with blood tests.
Why it matters
The case exposed severe safety lapses and attempted cover-ups within China's early childhood education sector, prompting authorities to publish strict new guidelines for campus meal procurement and testing.
Read the original report — BBC News
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.