China says tainted milk scandal spreading; three babies dead, 6,244 sick

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The health minister said Wednesday that tainted milk formula had killed three Chinese babies and sickened 6,200 in a spreading scandal that prompted three additional companies - including China's biggest dairy - to recall products. Officials said that about 20 percent of the dairy companies tested nationwide had sold products tainted with melamine. Suppliers to the companies are thought to have added the banned chemical, normally used in plastics, to raw milk to make the milk appear higher in protein. The companies included Mengniu Dairy, China's biggest milk company, which said Wednesday it was recalling its baby formula after government tests found melamine in the product. The announcement said the recall covers three batches of formula made in January but gave no details on how much product will be affected. It did not say whether any of Mengniu's baby formula was exported. Health Minister Chen Zhu told a televised news conference that 6,244 babies had been sickened after being feed tainted milk formula, and that 158 were suffering from acute kidney failure.