Kindergarten Operators Sentenced for Poisoning Children with Lead
Summary
Six employees of a kindergarten in Tianshui, China, have been sentenced over a lead-poisoning case that sickened more than 200 children after toxic paint was used to make food look appealing. The court handed the operator life imprisonment and China has issued new snack-safety rules for educational institutions after the scandal.
Key Points
- Six employees, including kindergarten operator Li Huifang, were sentenced for poisoning more than 200 children with lead-contaminated food items in Tianshui, Gansu Province.
- Li Huifang received life imprisonment, while executive principal Zhi Jinglin was sentenced to 15 years and four other kitchen staff got 6 to 8 years in prison.
- Investigators found lead levels in food thousands of times above China's safety limits after staff used inedible paint to attract children.
- The case also exposed alleged cover-up efforts by officials and hospital staff, and prompted new national guidelines on snack safety in educational institutions.
