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AsianFin— A growing lead poisoning crisis at a kindergarten in northwest China has intensified, with both children and teachers now confirmed to have dangerous levels of lead in their blood.
Authorities have traced the contamination to the illegal use of decorative paint in food preparation, triggering widespread outrage and a criminal investigation.
The scandal first emerged in late June when children from Heshike Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province, began exhibiting symptoms of lead poisoning. Dozens were later hospitalized at Xi’an Central Hospital, where blood tests confirmed lead levels well above the national safety threshold of 100 micrograms per liter (μg/L) for children. Many were diagnosed with clinical lead poisoning.
By July 1, school officials arranged blood lead testing for teachers. However, as results were delayed, some educators independently sought testing at hospitals in neighboring provinces.
On Monday evening, a relative of one of the kindergarten teachers confirmed to Chinese media outlet The Paper that multiple teachers had received test results indicating severe lead exposure. One teacher’s blood lead level was recorded at 395 μg/L, while another exceeded 500 μg/L—both about double the adult safety threshold of 200 μg/L.
As more test results emerge, inconsistencies between local and out-of-town lead level testing have stirred additional concern. Parents said tests conducted at medical institutions in Xi’an—considered more rigorous—showed higher lead levels compared to initial results from local facilities in Tianshui.
Some parents revealed that as early as May 27, 2024, a child had already been found to have elevated blood lead levels. However, for the next 402 days, no key information was disclosed by local authorities, and it wasn’t until July 1 of this year that a formal investigation was launched.
What puzzled parents further was that after collective blood testing was organized by departments in Tianshui and Maiji District on July 2, they only received phone calls informing them that their children’s lead levels were “normal”—without any paper reports or detailed data.
Troubled by the lack of transparency, many parents took their children to Xi’an, where pediatric specialists at Xi’an Central Hospital diagnosed them with abnormal blood lead levels.
Several families who retested their children in Xi’an reported significantly elevated readings that were not detected earlier, prompting questions about the accuracy and reliability of local testing procedures.
Wang Li, a teacher at the school, shared her result with The Paper and said she had experienced dizziness and nausea for two weeks. Initially attributing the symptoms to her menstrual cycle, Wang later realized several colleagues had similar complaints. Local authorities have since assembled a medical expert team in Tianshui to offer treatment to affected staff.
Another teacher, Lin Xin, who underwent the school-administered test on July 1, told The Paper she had not yet received her results and had opted for a second round of testing at a hospital.
Despite growing concern among families, Tianshui’s No. 2 People’s Hospital limited blood lead testing to children from four specific kindergartens linked to the outbreak: Heshike Peixin, Mengtiai, Weibei, and Ciai, reportedly all operated by the same principal, Li Huifang.
A grandparent seeking testing for a child not enrolled in those schools was denied service, even when offering to pay out of pocket. The hospital later gave conflicting statements over whether it would accept other patients.
Meanwhile, other kindergartens under Li’s management, including Mengtiai and Weibei, remained open on Monday despite public concern. Parents from Weibei said no lead abnormalities had been found among children there, though they noted a new chef had been brought in to replace one reportedly taken in by police for questioning.
According to an official statement released on Tuesday by a joint investigative task force, police had already located the suspected source of contamination days earlier. In the early morning hours of July 3, law enforcement officers raided a hidden storage location and seized decorative paint used illegally in food preparation.
The kindergarten’s principal, Zhu Moulin, and investor Li Moufang allegedly directed kitchen staff to purchase colorful paints online, which were clearly labeled “not for consumption.” These paints were then diluted and added to foods including tricolor red date cakes and corn sausage rolls served to children.
Subsequent food sample testing revealed alarming contamination: the rice cakes and sausage rolls had lead concentrations of 1,052 mg/kg and 1,340 mg/kg, respectively—over 2,000 times the national limit of 0.5 mg/kg for food.
The neurodevelopmental toxicity of lead is essentially irreversible. Even if treatment brings blood lead levels back to normal, it is very difficult to restore a child’s original IQ, said Professor Yan Chonghuai, a pediatrician at Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
For example, when blood lead levels rise to 300–400 micrograms per liter, untreated children may lose about 7 IQ points. With aggressive treatment, perhaps 2–3 points can be regained, Yan explained.
Tianshui Mayor Liu Lijiang publicly apologized for the crisis. “We are deeply remorseful for the physical and psychological harm this has caused to the children and their families,” Liu said. He promised comprehensive medical support, psychological counseling, and long-term care for those affected.
Liu also admitted to systemic failures in food safety oversight. “This incident has exposed gaps and loopholes in our regulatory system,” he said. “We will implement the ‘four toughest’ food safety standards, improve monitoring mechanisms, and enforce full accountability.”
Authorities confirmed that Zhu and Li have been placed under criminal investigation. Additional officials from the local market supervision and education departments may also face disciplinary action.
The scandal has sparked national debate about regulatory failures, food safety in school environments, and the health risks facing children in rural areas. It also bears an eerie resemblance to a lead poisoning case in Tianshui from two decades ago.
In 2006, villagers in Wujiahe, Ganquan Township of Tianshui’s Maiji District, experienced a similarly absurd sequence of events. The first round of blood tests, conducted by the Maiji branch of the Lanzhou Institute for Trace Element Research, showed that all 53 tested children had elevated blood lead levels. However, the local Maiji District government deemed the results “not authoritative” and commissioned a second test by the Tianshui Center for Disease Control, which reported only one borderline case among 50 children—the rest were declared “normal.”
Unconvinced, villagers took their children to Xi’an Central Hospital. Of the over 200 individuals tested, 211 were found to have dangerously high lead levels, and 68 were formally diagnosed with lead poisoning.
The contrast between the two sets of test results was stark: local institutions said “nothing was wrong,” while out-of-town hospitals diagnosed “poisoning.” Under media scrutiny and public pressure following these cross-province confirmations, the local smelting plants—Tianhe Shuixin Industrial & Trade and Tianshui Qinchuan Zinc Products Co.—were ordered to halt operations.
Environmental authorities promised to compensate for crop losses but stopped short of offering relocation. Meanwhile, symptoms like appetite loss, vomiting, and abdominal pain—noticed in children since 2003—were only taken seriously after out-of-town diagnoses.
From 2003 to 2025, over 22 years, the cast of Tianshui’s “lead poisoning saga” has changed—from rural villagers to preschool children, from smelting plant pollution to illicit food additives in kindergartens. Yet the script remains chillingly familiar: local tests show “normal,” while outside hospitals reveal the painful truth.
With the official investigation still ongoing, parents and teachers are demanding transparency and justice. As of Tuesday, medical care, psychological counseling, and further testing were continuing for dozens of children and staff. The long-term health impact of the lead exposure remains uncertain.
