At least 180 people in Zhejiang province became ill last week after eating pork treated with an amphetamine designed to produce thinner pigs.
A growing desire to eat lean meat has propelled pig farmers to illegally place a powdered drug called 'Thin Meat Energy' into pig food to force weight loss.
'When pigs eat this powder it gives them a burst of adrenalin that causes their hearts to beat faster, which makes them run around and lose weight,' said a doctor surnamed Xu at Zhejiang's Tonglu County Hospital, where more than 100 people suffering from the effects of eating the pork have been treated.
'The problems get amplified when humans eat treated meat,' he said. 'Patients came in trembling all over, having trouble breathing and were unable to fall asleep.' Dr Xu said no one had died from the food poisoning last week, adding that all the approximately 180 people affected, ranging in age from three to 79, had recovered. He said one dealer, Li Mingshui, from Fengzhou village, who sold 43 tainted pigs to five villages, was believed responsible for the food poisonings.
Li was detained on August 24, the day after people starting falling ill, Dr Xu said.
Tonglu county deputy chief Wang Zhiyan was quoted by Xinhua as saying the problem was under control, with no more cases expected to emerge.
