Chinese baby milk toll escalates

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

More than 6,200 babies have fallen ill after drinking formula milk made from contaminated powder, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu has announced. The figure is five times higher than previously announced.

Twenty-two brands of powder were found to contain the toxic industrial chemical melamine, apparently added to make it appear higher in protein. Mr Chen said a total of 6,244 infants were now sick, and that the number of those diagnosed with "acute kidney failure" had risen to 158.

Rising public anger, expressed on China's active internet forums, is prompting reports of a crackdown by the government on reporting of the scandal.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7620253.stm

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I'm so disgusted, I'm speechless......

[aquart]

1. Girls or boys?

[jbnow]

2. Melamine was what was in the pet food too. Once they

know it is going on it is something they should test for always.

It's horrifying to think that after they knew it killed cats and dogs they do the same thing knowing babies will consume it.

I always wondered if there was more to it here. Though it went into pet food the tainted product shipped here was graded food grade. Made me wonder if any got made it into bread or anything and since no one got sick that they knew of they just didn't tell us.
It would be worse for pets or babies because it's their main or only food and goes into their smaller bodies.

[Dark]

3. And people around the world think China'd make a better int'l steward than us.

I don't know what's sadder, the world's foolishness, or the extent that we've destroyed the American reputation.

[nichomachus]

9. Yes, Salmonella and e. coli are much preferable to melamine

[krkaufman]

4. On the bright side, this could be a ripple

Someday, the Chinese people may finally stand up for themselves.

[Berry Cool]

5. Yes, this may be the straw that finally breaks the camel's back in China

in terms of the people demanding that their food and drugs be regulated before being sold inside OR outside the country.

We didn't get a Pure Food and Drug Act in the USA until after Upton Sinclair published The Jungle.

It's too bad it seems innocent people have to die sometimes before someone takes action.

[krkaufman]

6. Yep. I'd expected one of the triggers to eventually be the early deaths nationwide ...

... due to their heavy use of coal. But incidents like this are bound to lead to outrage.

[crispini]

10. Ha.

I doubt it very much. Standing up for themselves is not in the culture.

[WriteDown]

13. You nailed it....

Nationalism trumps everything else.

[krkaufman]

20. Well, it may not be nationalism ....

... so much as a less self-centered "rugged individualist" mindset. But, still, people will only take so much.

[WriteDown]

21. They are living better than ever before....

There perspective is totally different so there will be little protest.

[krkaufman]

23. I'm not sure that your babies becoming ill and dying will have no effect.

An issue can hardly hit closer to home.

[WriteDown]

24. Most Chinese are used to high infant mentality...

I am even more curious how many of them will ever know the cause.

[WriteDown]

27. ugh....

meant mortality. That's what happens when I post before my coffee.

[1monster]

14. In 1989, they tried. Remember Tiananmen Square in 1989? Lest you've

forgotten, see again how the uprising was quashed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6570000/newsid_6571700/6571755.stm?

Remember, that after killing thousands of unarmed demonstrators, at night, many killed by tanks rolling over them, the demonstrations were put down, those who took part in in were hunted down, jailed, tried, and given harsh sentences.

Remember that what started out as a young people's movement quickly spread thoughout the country with older people from all walks of Chinese life joining in.

Which was, of course, the catalyst for the brutal suppression at Tiananmen Square.

As long as it was just students and young people, the Chinese government could show how tolerant they were by allowing it. When the rest of the nation started joining in, they decided to kill it cold and make sure it wouldn't happen again.

I always wanted to visit China. I've heard it is a country of unsurpassing beauty and I love Chinese artwork.

Since then, I have a no desire to set foot in that country.

on edit: formatting error fixed

[krkaufman]

22. Thanks for making this obvious case.

I think it's possible that different cultures may tend towards different approaches to government, but people's survival instincts are pretty consistent. Enough pollution and death and the Chinese people will have had enough.

[clear eye]

26. Enough. China is a totalitarian state. There was a recent documentary

on TV, (I'd like to say PBS, but I'm not sure), that recounted the efforts of a rural Chinese village who, at great personal risk, rose up against the completely corrupt local council who had stolen every penny their federal gov't had sent the villagers for various vital improvement programs. The villagers forced a real contested election, and actually managed to elect an entirely new reform council. Shortly afterword, the regional party intervened and put so much pressure on the newly elected council members that they all were forced to step down, and the council was once again turned over to corrupt party members.

You'd think that after living through 8 years under a stolen and lawless administration in the U.S. and being unable to evict them, we'd be a little more understanding of how next to impossible it is to overthrow a government who have modern weapons and methods of surveillance and propaganda. We can't blame this dreadful thing in China on their citizenry or expect them to be able to unite for a revolution without being stopped long before they can do anything significant. It's not their nature that is stopping them; it's the nature of modern totalitarianism.

I was on a thread about election theft in the U.S. earlier today, and most of the posters showed, sadly, that they had not informed themselves about the various ways the integrity of our elections have been compromised, and what reforms are needed, much less organized themselves to do what it will take to force an end to the crime. The Chinese food situation will likely change only in response to outside pressure by an international community not under their government's thumb supporting whatever reform movement the Chinese people have been able to muster. It will not, unfortunately, create a fundamental change in the enormous machinery of their gigantic country. That would be like expecting to stop the momentum of a runaway train with a sawhorse across the tracks.

If we don't reinstate the rule of law here soon, and that means not letting bygones be bygones when it comes to breaches of our Constitution and international law, we will find ourselves in the same position as the Chinese for whom justice is defined as might makes right. Would you call that "our nature"?

(edited for clarity)

[Blue Diadem]

7. The article says there is exported milk powder being recalled too.

Melamine has also been found in yogurt bars sold in Hong Kong. I wonder what else that milk powder was used in.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080917/ap_on_re_as/as_china_baby_formula_recall

According to the yahoo article: Yashili and Suncare export their products to Bangladesh, Yemen, Gabon, Burundi and Myanmar.


Those poor babies.

[Renew Deal]

8. How much of that was shipped to the US?

:shrug:

[crim son]

11. I'm not buying any food product from China.

Scary.

[Coventina]

15. That's very difficult to monitor. If anything has added citric acid

(Vitamin C) the citric acid came from China, even if the rest of the ingredients came from elsewhere.

The deck is stacked against consumers. It's virtually impossible to know where your food is from anymore. (Unless you only buy fresh from local farmers).

on edit: corrected dumb error!

[crim son]

16. Is that true?

God, I'm ignorant. I never thought about where the individual ingredients might come from. Thanks for enlightening me, I think.

[Coventina]

19. substitute "ascorbic" for "citric" and yes, it's true

Sorry about the confusion.

But, yes, there are no longer any US producers of Vitamin C, it's entirely a Chinese monopoly now.

That's just one example. I'm sure there are dozens of others....

[clear eye]

17. Your main point is correct and important, but citric acid

is not vitamin C. Vitamin C is ascorbic acid. Citric acid is another naturally ocurring organic acid found in citrus fruits and some other plants. It can also be chemically synthesized.

[Coventina]

18. Dang it! I had it right the first time!

But after I posted it I second-guessed myself and went back and changed it (hence the edit).

Don't know why I got confused.

:dunce:

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Let's see how the Chinese public handles this scandal.

We might learn something.

[INDIA]

25. Hey! Where are our resident Chinese government paid bloggers?

CKramer? Better Beleive It? Where are you guys to defend your glorious People's Republic?

Douchebags....