China jails 6 after 247 kindergarten children suffer lead poisoning
The kindergarten manager received a life sentence after food was allegedly tainted with toxic substances since May 2024 to make it look more appealing.
A court in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, sentenced six people in a lead poisoning case that affected 247 kindergarten children in China. Li Huifang, who was in charge of Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Maiji District, was sentenced to life in prison, stripped of political rights for life and had 500.000 yuan in assets confiscated. Zhu Jinglin, the executive principal, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 300.000 yuan. Four kitchen workers who carried out the orders were sentenced to six to eight years in prison. A provincial investigation in July 2025 found that contaminated food had been served each month since May 2024 to make it look more colorful and appealing. Of 251 children tested, 247 had very high blood lead levels and received hospital treatment or nutrition interventions at home.