China's children continue to suffer from poison milk fallout

China’s poisoned milk scandal has put huge numbers of children at risk of long-term health problems, a study revealed today.

More than one in 10 of the country’s youngsters made ill by the milk showed signs of kidney damage six months afterward, researchers found.

At least six children died and nearly 300,000 children fell ill two years ago after drinking infant formula bulked out with the industrial chemical melamine.

The study’s results show that up to 30,000 children could have suffered health complications for months after drinking the contaminated milk.

It also shows that the long-term health effects remain little understood, even as China makes plodding progress in cleaning up a food supply strewn with tainted products.

More milk products contaminated with melamine resurfaced in markets in recent months.

Researchers from Peking University studying ultrasound images of infants who fell ill in the 2008 contamination found that while most children in a rural Chinese area recovered, 12% still showed kidney abnormalities six months later, according to the report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“The potential for long-term complications after exposure to melamine remains a serious concern,” the report said. “Our results suggest a need for further follow-up of affected children to evaluate the possible long-term impact on health, including renal function.”

The researchers conducted ultrasound screenings of 7,933 children under three living in rural areas near the headquarters of Sanlu Group, the dairy at the centre of the scandal, in the northern city of Shijiazhuang in September 2008.

The initial screening found that 48 children suffered from kidney stones or swollen kidneys.

Researchers monitored most of these children at intervals of one, three and six months and found that “renal abnormalities” remained in 12% of the children.

The results could have implications for the broader population of children who had exposure to melamine, one of the researchers said.

“Among the 300,000 affected children, although they don’t have symptoms, maybe 12% will have abnormal ultrasound images after six months,” said Dr. Liu Jianmeng.

He added, however, that some limitations in the study could have led to a slight overestimation on the prevalence of such abnormalities.

The scandal came to light in September 2008 when reports of babies suffering from kidney stones appeared in the Chinese media, prompting a dairy to recall hundreds of tons of baby formula and the government to launch an investigation.

With so many children affected, many parents blamed the government for certifying the contaminated milk powder as safe. To try to defuse public anger, the government offered payouts and free health screenings and medical treatment.

Melamine, which can cause kidney stones and kidney failure, was added to watered-down milk to fool inspectors testing for protein content and increase profits. The chemical, which is used to make plastics and fertilisers, has also been found added to pet food and animal feed.

Despite tightened regulations and increased inspections on producers, melamine-tainted milk products have recently shown up repackaged in several places around the country, exposing weaknesses in China’s promises to better police the food chain.

The government launched a 10-day emergency crackdown and said earlier this month that most of the contaminated products that resurfaced have been recalled and destroyed.