Nearly 100 arrested in China over tainted milk

Nearly 100 arrested in China over tainted milk

2011-01-14 02:53:59 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) - Chinese police have arrested 96 people for illegally using melamine-tainted milk powder, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

The suspects were found to have used melamine-tainted milk powder to produce dairy products or sell such dairy products, the State Council's Food Safety Commission said in a statement, as reported by Xinhua.

Seventeen of the suspects have been convicted since their arrest, including two people who were sentenced to life in prison. Thirty-eight other suspects are still awaiting trial and 41 others remain under investigation in police custody, the statement said.

About 2,132 tonnes of melamine-tainted milk powder was seized in the latest crackdown. Melamine is a toxic chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and loopholes in the quality control system have allowed them to go through unnoticed.

Chinese authorities began a nationwide crackdown on the use of undisposed tainted milk powder since last July when Dongyuan milk powder, produced in west China, was found to contain excessive levels of melamine.

In 2008, melamine-tainted milk powder killed at least six infants and sickened 300,000 other children across the country. It was one of the biggest health scandals in China in years.

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