BEIJING, China (BN24) — Chinese authorities have arrested six people and launched sweeping investigations into nearly 30 others after more than 230 kindergarten children in Gansu province were poisoned by food tainted with industrial-grade lead pigment, according to an official report released Sunday.
The scandal, one of the most severe school food safety incidents in China in recent years, unfolded at the privately run Brownstone Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city. The school’s principal allegedly ordered the addition of industrial pigments to enhance the appearance of food served to children in a bid to boost enrollment, despite warnings on the product labels that the substances were not safe for consumption.
Initial tests showed that 235 children were hospitalized earlier this month with symptoms ranging from stomach pain and vomiting to discoloration of the teeth. Subsequent testing confirmed elevated blood lead levels in 247 people, including students and several staff members, with some pigments found to contain lead concentrations 400,000 times above the legal limit.
The Gansu provincial party committee’s investigation detailed systemic failures at every stage of the crisis, from food safety oversight to medical response and regulatory enforcement. Officials said the principal and kitchen staff knowingly used toxic substances purchased online, preferring their brighter hues over cheaper, food-safe alternatives.
Six employees of the kindergarten, including the principal, are now under arrest for knowingly serving toxic food. Meanwhile, disciplinary investigations have been launched into 27 others, including hospital personnel, education officials, and local government employees accused of misconduct, bribery, and deliberate cover-ups.
The report sharply criticized the Gansu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for mishandling the early stages of the investigation. It cited illegal sampling procedures that distorted test results and delayed the identification of the full scale of the poisoning.
Further scrutiny was directed at the Tianshui Second People’s Hospital, where at least two children’s test results were found to have been deliberately falsified to show lower lead levels. Investigators described hospital management as “chaotic” and highlighted the lack of basic laboratory oversight and staff training.
Compounding the scandal, the report revealed that the local education bureau had failed to monitor the kindergarten for years. The facility had reportedly operated without a proper license, charging high fees while escaping all food safety inspections typically mandated for private schools. Investigators also uncovered evidence of bribes accepted by officials from the kindergarten’s major investor and other affiliates.
The Chinese government has vowed to hold all responsible parties accountable. The country’s top anti-corruption agency has now launched formal investigations into multiple levels of local government, including senior education and health officials, as well as hospital administrators.
“All but one of the affected children have been discharged after a first round of detoxification treatment, which has lowered average lead levels by approximately 40%,” the report noted. Authorities expressed regret and offered a public apology to the affected families.
“The provincial party committee and government are deeply saddened by the blood lead incident in Tianshui and extend their sincerest apologies to the children and their parents,” the statement read.
The release of the report sparked outrage on Sunday night. Footage shared on social media appeared to show angry parents confronting police outside the kindergarten, demanding justice. Clashes reportedly erupted as plainclothes officers attempted to leave the scene under police escort, prompting parents to block the road and chant, “Hand over those who beat people up.”
The case has ignited a national debate on food safety, regulatory accountability, and corruption in China’s education and healthcare systems. It comes amid growing public scrutiny of private institutions operating with minimal oversight.
