Posted on 09/22/2008 9:43:48 AM PDT by traumer
Nearly 53,000 children in China have been sickened by milk powder contaminated by an industrial chemical, the government said Monday, dramatically ramping up its previous figures.
Earlier the health ministry said 12,892 infants were in hospital with 104 babies in serious condition, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
As the World Health Organization questioned Beijing's handling of the crisis, premier Wen Jiabao appeared on state television promising to head off further incidents.
But a Hong Kong toddler also became the first child affected outside the mainland and more countries moved to bar Chinese milk products.
The scandal stems from the practice of adding industrial chemical melamine, normally used to make plastics, to watered-down milk to boost apparent protein levels.
Melamine, which causes urinary problems including kidney stones, was first discovered in baby formula and then in liquid milk, yoghurt and ice-cream, leading to mass recalls.
The problem first came to light last week in state-controlled media but New Zealand dairy Fonterra, which has a joint venture with China's Sanlu, has said it knew for weeks and had been pushing for a recall.
Some Chinese press reports have said the scam had been going on for years, with the country's chaotic and corrupt food safety system unable to detect or prevent it.
Oh, the joys of a global economy and free trade. I wonder if the Morgan-Stanley brokers will be obliged to buy Chinese cream for their lattes next year.
How do you say “La Leche League” in Chinese?
“Within our own borders we possess all the means of sustenance, defense, and commerce; at the same time, these advantages are so distributed among the different states of this continent as if nature had in view to proclaim to us be united among yourselves, and you will want nothing from the rest of the world.” Samuel Adams July 4, 1776, on Independence
Love your tagline.
Good grief. Last year, tons of pet feed were destroyed because of this same product. You would think they would have learned. But no, now they’ve moved from puppies to babies.
Does this mean there will be a drop in production of sneakers in china????
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