The medical reagent which sparked a local mad cow disease scare was imported illegally, it emerged yesterday.
At least 108 Hong Kong people were injected with the reagent, which is possibly contaminated by the protein which causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - the human form of mad cow disease.
But the Health Department said yesterday it could not find any importation registration records for the reagent's vital component, human serum albumin.
The Hospital Authority and the importing agent face fines of $100,000 and a two-year jail term if they are found guilty of importing the serum illegally.
A department spokesman said they could only find the registration for a secondary component of the radioactive reagent, which is required under the Radiation Ordinance.
'Information on the reagent supplied to us was incomplete. The import of the serum albumin without registration is illegal. We are investigating and will seek legal advice,' the spokesman said.