Opinion | Lead poisoning scandal in China shows tendency to cover up is still strong

Name: Eight held in China over kindergarten lead poisoning after high levels found in children
Uploaded: 2025-07-16T12:30:08.000Z
Duration: 1 min 35 s
Description: Eight held in China over kindergarten lead poisoning after high levels found in children

Suppression of information in such cases is part of a familiar pattern of local government response

Reading Time:3 minutes

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A screenshot of footage of kitchen staff at a Gansu kindergarten where children have fallen ill with lead poisoning. Photo: handout

Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen

Published: 8:30pm, 16 Jul 2025Updated: 8:31pm, 16 Jul 2025

More than 200 families in a small city in northwestern China recently found themselves with a deeply worrying task: trying to establish if their children had lead poisoning. Some had been ill for months with symptoms such as stomach ache.

Parents who took their children to a local hospital were told the blood lead results were normal. Those who sought a second opinion in a neighbouring province discovered dangerous blood lead levels, as much as 40 times higher in at least one case – a clear sign of poisoning.

The scandal in Tianshui, Gansu province, finally erupted this month. On July 8, the local authorities concluded that a kindergarten had used inedible paint in its pastries, causing 233 out of 251 children to have abnormal blood lead levels. Eight people were detained in connection with the case.

But the public was not satisfied and many demanded more answers. Over the weekend, the Gansu government announced an upgraded investigation involving provincial officials and a task force from the State Council.

This need not have happened. The Tianshui government had every opportunity to properly handle the crisis. Sadly, such failures are common in a system where political performance is seen as the top priority and officials do not necessarily do what is best for the people.

01:35

Eight held in China over kindergarten lead poisoning after high levels found in children

The Tianshui government seems to have done quite a few things wrong. First, local officials allegedly tried to suppress the matter, probably hoping it would fail to catch wider media attention and the notice of their superiors.

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