China: 300,000 cases melamine infection
China’s Health Ministry said six babies may have died after consuming tainted milk powder, up from a previous official toll of three, and announced a six-fold increase in its tally of infants sickened in the scandal — to nearly 300,000.
It was the first time since Sept. 21 that health authorities have revised the
total number of babies sickened by milk powered adulterated with the industrial
chemical melamine. The previous total was about
50,000.
Recalls
The scandal spread rapidly as
melamine was found in other kinds of dairy products such as liquid milk, yogurt
and chocolates. It prompted a string of recalls of Chinese-made milk and
products containing milk in dozens of countries.
Animal feed
Later investigations also discovered it was being added to animal
feed after finding melamine-spiked eggs. Melamine was also found in a
Chinese-made pet food ingredient that killed dogs and cats in North America in
2007.
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