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Published Date: 2013-05-23 22:29:20
Subject: PRO/EDR> Cadmium contamination, rice products - China: (GD, HN): RFI
Archive Number: 20130523.1732144

CADMIUM CONTAMINATION, RICE PRODUCTS - CHINA: (GUANGDONG, HUNAN): REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: Sun 19 May 2013
Source: South China Morning Post [edited]
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1240866/guangzhou-reveals-details-cadmium-tainting-public-pressure-mounts


Guangzhou's food-safety authorities have revealed some details about the sale of rice and rice noodles contaminated with cadmium, a heavy metal, in the face of enormous public pressure. And having initially withheld information about the brands involved and where the items were produced, the information was released yesterday [18 May 2013].

A total of 6 batches of rice were from Hunan province and 2 batches of rice noodles were from 2 processing plants in Dongguan, Guangdong.

On Friday [17 May 2013], the authorities also provided information about the restaurants and school cafeterias where problematic rice products were found.

These included the Guangzhou Taiyang Seafood Restaurant in Liwan district, the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the Yannanfei Restaurant in Haizhu district, and the Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering.

Food inspectors took a total of 8 samples. They found all contained excessive levels of cadmium, a heavy metal that can cause kidney failure, bone disease, and other ailments if ingested or absorbed through the skin.

The inspections were conducted between January and March [2013] but the results were not released until Thursday [16 May 2013].

The highest cadmium level -- 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of rice -- was found at Taiyang Seafood Restaurant. This is twice the limit of national food safety standards.

The government statement stressed that the high proportion of tainted rice in the inspections did not represent the actual food-safety situation in Guangzhou because of the limited number of samples.

A manager at the restaurant said yesterday [18 May 2013] that most of its staff, herself included, were unaware of the cadmium issue until they started receiving a barrage of phone calls from media and customers.

The incident, the latest in a seemingly endless series of food scandals, prompted a nationwide outcry on Friday [17 May 2013], over food safety and the perceived lack of transparency of the government's handling of the issue.

In a statement on Thursday [16 May 2013], the administration said it had inspected 18 rice samples and found nearly half contained too much cadmium.

More than 100 000 internet users posted comments on major internet portals such as Sina and Soho on Friday [17 May 2013] urging the government to name the brands involved.

[Byline: Stephen Chen]

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Kunihiko Iizuka

[It is understandable that there is public pressure to know which brands are contaminated. People only want to protect their health and that of their families.

The high proportion of contamination in the sample is a warning that the source has not been found, and that likely there is more contamination than anyone recognizes or desires to admit. It is a frightening situation, especially when the source has not been found and much more testing and investigation remains to be done.

Cadmium concentrations in agricultural soil and wheat have increased continuously during the last century. At present, soil cadmium concentrations increase by about 0.2 percent per year. Cadmium accumulates in the kidneys. Human kidney concentrations of cadmium have increased several fold during the last century.
For more information on cadmium toxicity, readers are referred to the moderator's comments on ProMED-mail post 20120921.1303309.

A Health/Map ProMED-mail interactive map of China can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/4IbX. - Mod.TG]

[Cadmium accumulates in the kidneys. Cadmium is a suspected cause of chronic kidney disease in several countries -- see ProMED archives below. But so far there have been no reports of excess kidney disease from those provinces. ProMED would be interested to receive reports of related disease. - Mod.JW]

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