Overview

• Officials from the National Health Commission and other central departments have taken over the investigation into lead contamination at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten.
• Eight individuals, including the principal and the school’s financial backer, have been detained on suspicion of producing toxic and harmful food.
• Samples of red date steamed cake and corn roll sausage seized from the kindergarten contained lead concentrations more than 2,000 times the national safety limit.
• Local health center tests showed normal lead levels for some children but Xi’an hospitals detected levels classified as severe in dozens of students, fuelling questions about result reliability.
• Approximately 201 of the affected children required hospitalization, and many families have relocated to Xi’an for further treatment and retesting.