Nursery staff laced children's food with lead to 'make it more appealing'
A nursery boss has been jailed for life after hundreds of children were poisoned with toxic pigments deliberately added to their school meals.
TL;DR
- Nursery staff at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Gansu province, China, added poisonous, inedible pigments containing lead to children's food.
- The goal was to make the meals look more colorful and appealing.
- 247 children were found with dangerously high levels of lead in their blood.
- Kindergarten operator Li Huifang was sentenced to life in prison and had personal assets confiscated.
- Executive principal Zhu Jinglin was jailed for 15 years and fined.
- Four kitchen workers received prison sentences ranging from six to eight years.
- Lead exposure is particularly dangerous for young children, potentially causing lasting damage to the brain and nervous system.
- The World Health Organization recently issued a warning about the global threat of lead poisoning and urged increased efforts to protect children.