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Boy who died with kidney ailment was also fed Sanlu

Xinjiang authorities yesterday revealed that a boy who died at hospital last month had kidney problems and his parents had given him Sanlu milk formula.

Doctors, however, could not confirm that is what killed him.

The announcement came as officials in Hebei said 12 more people had been arrested in the widening investigation into the mainland's tainted milk powder crisis.

The eight-month-old boy died five hours after arriving at a hospital in Yanqi township, about 250km south of the capital Urumqi on August 7, said the facility's party secretary, Zhou Xiyuan .

Mr Zhou said the cause of death was mainly respiratory failure, although the hospital admitted there was problem with the infant's kidney and that his parents had fed him Sanlu milk powder.

'There is not sufficient evidence to suggest the boy died because of Sanlu,' Mr Zhou said.

The boy's parents informed the authorities only this month they had given him powdered milk from state-owned manufacturer Sanlu, the hospital said.

Health Ministry spokesman Mao Qunan said the ministry was still verifying the case. But Xinhua was already putting the death toll yesterday at four.

At least 6,200 babies across the mainland have been sickened from consuming dairy products adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine.

In Hebei, where the Sanlu Group is based in the capital Shijiazhuang , police said they had broken up an illegal melamine sales network.

Police spokesman Shi Guizhong said 12 people were arrested in the early morning, taking the total to 18.

Of those, six were accused of illegally selling melamine.

Twelve were from milk collection centres accused of adding the chemical to the milk.

An alleged ringleader of the gang, surnamed Su, was said to have confessed that he sold melamine for 218 yuan (HK$248) per 20kg to milk farms between February and July, according to People's Daily Net.

Mr Shi said the police confiscated around 300kg of chemicals, of which 223kg was melamine.

Police have also detained 28 people, including former Sanlu group chairwoman Tian Wenhua , who was removed of all her posts after the scandal emerged, and summoned 87 others for questioning.

Ms Tian was also stripped of her post in the local legislature, Xinhua reported.

Sanlu, one of the mainland's oldest milk powder brands, and the authorities have accused dairy farmers and suppliers of adding melamine to make diluted milk appear to contain higher levels of protein.

Mr Shi said the police would launch a 10-day campaign to crackdown on unlawful use of chemicals including melamine in milk.

The latest food scare surrounding mainland-made products surfaced this month after mainland media reported that some babies developed kidney stones after drinking Sanlu formula.

Months after initial complaints were filed, the authorities eventually confirmed that Sanlu and other milk powders contained melamine, which is restricted in food products.

The revelation prompting parents across the mainland to rush their children to hospitals for ultrasound tests.

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