Chinese kindergarten owner given life sentence over lead paint poisoning scandal
The owner of a Chinese kindergarten has been jailed for life after more than 200 children were poisoned by lead in the country’s worst food safety scandal for almost two decades. A total of six people were jailed on Friday for making or selling harmful foodstuffs by Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Gansu province. Li Huifang, owner of the Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, was handed a life…
A Chinese kindergarten owner, Li Huifang, was sentenced to life in prison after over 200 children were poisoned by lead at her Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu province. This is the country's worst food safety scandal in nearly two decades. The court also jailed the kindergarten's principal, Zhu Jinglin, for 15 years and fined both individuals 500,000 yuan each.
Four canteen staff members received sentences ranging from six to eight years, along with fines. The incident came to light in July last year, following the discovery of lead poisoning in more than 200 children. Police revealed that the staff had purchased decorative paint online, diluted it, and added it to the children's food, despite knowing that the paint was not safe for consumption.
Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of lead in the paint, which contained over 2,000 times the national safe limit for contaminants. The scandal has sparked nationwide outrage and prompted the Communist Party to vow zero tolerance for any act that endangers public health. Authorities have been urged to "severely punish" illegal acts that endanger food safety, particularly in schools and the food served to children.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
