Lead poisoning is a curiously nasty condition. Exposure to high amounts of lead can upset your stomach, but it has particularly potent effects on the brain. Mood changes, weakened attention span, and even brain damage can result from lead exposure, and the kidneys won’t be happy about it either.
We used make plumbing pipes with it in the UK, but that practice has been banned here since 1970 since it became clear that it can contaminate the water running through it.
There’s a popular theory that regular lead exposure may have been a contributing factor to people becoming serial killers, owing to the effects it can have on the mind.
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Anyway, the upshot is that we’re better off without it. Unfortunately for over 200 pre-school kids in China, a kindergarten mishap has directly exposed them to the stuff.
The children, all from northwestern China, were found to have high levels of lead in their blood. The reason? It turns out that kitchen staff at their kindergarten had allegedly been using lead-containing paint as food colouring.
Authorities have detained eight people, per a report from Tianshui city government released on 8 July 2025, ‘on suspicion of producing toxic and harmful food’.
According to the report, the principal at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten had allowed kitchen staff to use paint as food colouring in the children’s meals.
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The nursery has 251 students, with 233 of them having abnormal blood-lead levels. 201 of those have required hospital treatment, but the extent of the short and long-term harms haven’t yet been disclosed.
As lead has such a profound effect on the brain, there are major concerns that these children will experience developmental difficulties as a result of the exposure. Stymied brain development, IQ deficits and behavioural problems are all potential consequences from lead poisoning.
CNN reported that local media had cited paediatrics experts as saying the children could experience chronic lead poisoning if the exposure had lasted for more than three months.
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The investigation into the kindergarten’s kitchen reportedly found that samples contained 2,000 times the national food safety standard for lead contamination.
Paint used in the kitchen has been seized by local authorities, with its packaging reportedly labelled as non-edible.
According to an Tianshui law enforcement official speaking to state broadcaster CCTV, the principal had hoped the colourful food would ‘attract more enrolment and increase revenue'.
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It’s unclear for how long the children were being exposed to lead in their food, with the Chinese government’s report leaving that detail undisclosed. Affected parents had told state media that they had noticed unusual health and behavioural issues in their children for several months.
Rachael Davis