BEIJING - A Chinese court sentenced seven people to jail for selling illegal toxic chemicals to pork producers, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday, the latest rulings in another food safety scandal.
The sentencing on Tuesday comes just two weeks after a Chinese court handed down harsher sentences, including a suspended death penalty, to five people involved in producing and selling pork tainted with clenbuterol, a toxic chemical used to produce prized lean meat, underscoring the level of official and public concern over the scandal. .
The seven, who had been selling clenbuterol to farmers since 2009, were also fined between 1,000 yuan ($156) and 28,000 yuan, the Xinhua report said.
If eaten excessively by humans, however, the chemical it can lead to muscle tremors, dizziness, headaches and gastric irritations.
