BEIJING — A scandal over tainted infant formula spread Monday as authorities acknowledged that as many as 10,000 babies may have ingested milk powder laced with the same chemical found in contaminated pet-food exports last year that caused scores of U.S. animals to die.
The admission cast a cloud over China’s dairy industry, and New Zealand’s premier accused China of masking the problem until she blew the whistle.
Inspectors fanned across China for rush inspections of the nation’s 175 baby-formula producers to try to rebuild confidence in dairy products among stunned consumers.
Authorities acknowledged a jump in the number of babies affected by infant formula tainted with melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers that can make protein levels of diluted milk appear higher than they are.
So far, 1,253 babies have become ill from tainted formula manufactured by Sanlu Group, and 340 were hospitalized — 53 in serious condition, Health Ministry spokesman Ma Xiaowei said. Two infants died in Gansu Province. As many as 10,000 infants may have ingested the contaminated formula, he said.
Consumer anger was mounting over apparent signs that Sanlu knew as long ago as March that some babies were admitted to hospitals with kidney stones, a rare ailment among infants.
