2025 Tianshui kindergarten lead poisoning scandal

Common card · No. 495395

A kindergarten in Maiji district, Tianshui, Gansu province, China, caused a major lead poisoning scandal in 2025. An official investigation found that food served at the kindergarten had been contaminated with pigments containing lead 2,000 times the national safety standard, resulting in abnormally high blood lead levels in 247 children and dozens of staff members. The incident attracted nationwide and international attention due to the large number of affected children, the deliberate use of non-food-grade materials in meals, and later medical data falsification. Evidence that authorities and medical institutions concealed abnormal test results or ignored earlier warning signs further eroded public trust in government oversight. The case also raised widespread public concern that it was related to an unsolved 2006 lead poisoning incident that poisoned 200. In response to the growing concerns, the government ultimately conducted additional environmental surveys in the surrounding area.

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