Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. 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, BBC reports.
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.
The school principal asked the kitchen staff to buy the paint online, according to a police statement.
But after the children fell ill, officers had to search for the supplies which had been hidden.
The paint was clearly marked as inedible, the statement said.
One parent told the BBC that he was worried about the long-term effects of lead poisoning on his son’s liver and digestive system.
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