Authorities say over 240 children were poisoned by lead-tainted food at Peixin Kindergarten, with school leaders, hospital staff, and regulators all implicated in a widening investigation.
A sweeping government investigation has exposed a chain of institutional failures behind a lead poisoning case that sickened hundreds of children at a private kindergarten in northwestern China — the country’s worst school food safety scandal in years and one that has triggered widespread public outrage.
In a report released Sunday, authorities detailed tampered medical records, bribery, and systemic oversight lapses, leading to six arrests, action against 17 others including school leaders, hospital staff, and local officials, and a separate disciplinary probe targeting 10 senior government officials.
The report confirms that kindergarten staff deliberately added industrial-grade pigments to meals at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu province — a practice allegedly approved by the school’s principal, surnamed Zhu, and an investor, surnamed Li.
Lab tests revealed that one pigment contained an extraordinary 209,890 milligrams of lead per kilogram, over 400,000 times China’s food safety limit of 0.5 mg/kg.
Families wait for medical treatment at a hospital in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, July 2025. From Weibo
The probe was launched after hundreds of children and staff at the kindergarten were found to have elevated blood lead levels. Led by top provincial officials, the investigation team included disciplinary inspectors, education and health authorities, environmental regulators, and experts from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and National Health Commission.
According to the report, the kindergarten’s head cook, surnamed He, purchased yellow, red, and green industrial pigments on two occasions in 2024 and early 2025, paying around 6 yuan ($0.8) per 100 grams. Despite the packaging clearly stating the pigments were “not for consumption,” kitchen staff added them to flour-based foods such as corn sausage rolls and red date cakes, which were served to children and staff as often as six times a month.
The report noted that while the school had previously purchased edible fruit and vegetable-based coloring — at a lower cost of about 5 yuan per 100 grams — staff opted for the industrial pigment due to its more vivid appearance. The principal, Zhu, also ate the food and was later found to have a blood lead level of 169.3 micrograms per liter — indicative of lead poisoning.
Six staff members from Peixin Kindergarten — including principal Zhu, investor Li, and multiple kitchen workers — have been formally arrested on suspicion of producing and distributing toxic and harmful food. Police allege they knowingly added non-edible industrial substances to school meals, causing widespread lead exposure among children and staff.
Steamed bread dyed with the pigment, as served at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui. From Weibo
But failures at the kindergarten were only the beginning. The investigation also found serious misconduct at Tianshui Second People’s Hospital, where key blood lead data was manipulated.
According to the probe report, medical staff altered test results for at least two severely affected children, lowering their blood lead levels from 440.14 and 292.37 micrograms per liter to just 103 and 42.37 micrograms per liter, respectively. Despite multiple children presenting abnormal results — in some cases on six separate occasions — the hospital failed to flag a public health risk or notify the kindergarten.
Authorities also found that the hospital’s lab had manipulated blood test data on previous occasions, though the report did not provide further details. The facility’s president, vice president, and three other senior officials are now under official review, with a broader investigation ongoing.
According to domestic media, Tianshui Second People’s Hospital had recently been placed under the management of Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, which deployed advanced lead testing equipment and brought in provincial experts to oversee diagnostics amid growing concerns over its testing practices.
Fallout from the case has extended to higher levels of government.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China — China’s top anti-corruption body — has opened accountability proceedings against senior officials at the Gansu Provincial Health Commission, Tianshui’s municipal government, and the local district administration. Ten senior officials are now under disciplinary investigation.
The probe report also implicated Gansu’s provincial Center for Disease Control for serious testing failures. Investigators found that when the agency tested 267 blood samples from kindergarten children and staff on July 2 and 3, the samples had been left sitting for over two hours without being properly shaken — a clear breach of standard protocols that led to distorted results.
Senior officials at the agency were found to have either violated procedures or attempted to deflect responsibility during the investigation. Formal disciplinary probes have since been launched.
The case has exposed corruption within Tianshui’s local government. Officials from the district education bureau and market supervision office are accused of accepting bribes from the kindergarten’s investor, Li.
Investigators said the kindergarten was allowed to operate before securing a proper license, with local officials conducting only superficial food safety checks. He Xu, the district’s education bureau chief, and Zhang Haibin, its market regulation bureau chief, are also suspected of accepting additional bribes. They are among five local officials now under formal investigation.
Fallout
Amid speculation that nearby industrial sites could be the source of contamination, officials stated that environmental testing around the school — including air, water, and soil — showed no abnormalities, according to the report, ruling out external pollution as the source of contamination.
Exterior view of Peixin Kindergarten. From Weibo
As of the latest update, 247 children and 28 staff members from Peixin Kindergarten had been diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels, along with five former students. Of the 235 children hospitalized, 234 have completed the first round of treatment and been discharged. According to medical experts cited in the investigation, average blood lead levels dropped by 40.21% following treatment.
Authorities have pledged continued medical monitoring and psychological support, including free treatment for all affected patients, reimbursement for out-of-town care, transportation, and accommodation. Nutritional subsidies and caregiver allowances will also be provided.
To ensure long-term support, officials also announced a student and staff protection office within the local education bureau, psychological counseling clinics, and regular consultations from mental health experts to assist families through recovery.
The kindergarten is now under the temporary management of the government-run Tianshui Experimental Kindergarten. Local officials said children will be guaranteed enrollment at other schools in the city, while existing teaching staff may reapply for positions under a “voluntary selection and reappointment” process.
Editor: Apurva.
(Header image: Left: Hands of children undergoing medical treatment for abnormal blood lead levels; right: Food dyed with the pigment, as served at Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui. From Weibo)
