2008 Woodie Awards
Chinese Government Has Done It Again
Andrew Sparks '09
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Commentary
The people of China have once again been betrayed by their government, a government which consistently covers up public health hazards and suppresses popular demands in order to keep up appearances on the international stage. In the past, terrible food quality controls, work-safety violations, and violent police action have typified the underhanded and irresponsible behavior of the Chinese government. This time, however, the victims are the most innocent and truly defenseless citizens: newborns and infants.
One of the largest baby formula producers in China, Sanlu, has been mixing an industrial chemical into its milk powders for several months now. As Reuters reports, the chemical melamine was used by Sanlu to make its products appear higher in protein than they actually are. This chemical is known to cause kidney stones when ingested, and so far several infants have died and 13,000 more are being crowded into hospitals due to complications caused by the toxic formula. This same chemical was found in pet food exported from China last year and caused many deaths among pets in the United States and other countries.
What is particularly horrifying about this latest outbreak, however, is the fact that infants have been hospitalized for months due to contaminated formula, yet only now have investigations begun after thousands of concerned inquiries by parents. In fact, overwhelming evidence linking widespread infant hospitalizations to the contaminated formula reached government officials as early as mid-July, but only recently has the issue been leaked to the press. Clearly the Chinese government covered the story up for the duration of the Olympic Games, so as not to cause the widespread international outcry that would inevitably follow. While the Chinese government may have temporarily saved face, thousands of children were being poisoned because the general populace was not aware of the contaminated formula.
This reactionary mode of operation is nothing new for the single-party government. In the early 1990s, a cover-up of an AIDS epidemic occurred in central China, in 2003 the SARS outbreak was quieted for as long as possible, and in 2004, 13 babies died from formula with no nutritional value before the administration acted on the parents' complaints. While the central government blames local officials as the cause of the problems, it is clear that top-tier officials had a hand to play in each of the cover-ups listed. This is especially true in this latest round concerning Sanlu, as Beijing's international prestige was at stake. In fact, a popular rhyme confirms the party's concern about the Olympic Games, roughly translated as "We worked real hard for half a year, now we're suddenly back to before the Games were here."
One of the largest baby formula producers in China, Sanlu, has been mixing an industrial chemical into its milk powders for several months now. As Reuters reports, the chemical melamine was used by Sanlu to make its products appear higher in protein than they actually are. This chemical is known to cause kidney stones when ingested, and so far several infants have died and 13,000 more are being crowded into hospitals due to complications caused by the toxic formula. This same chemical was found in pet food exported from China last year and caused many deaths among pets in the United States and other countries.
What is particularly horrifying about this latest outbreak, however, is the fact that infants have been hospitalized for months due to contaminated formula, yet only now have investigations begun after thousands of concerned inquiries by parents. In fact, overwhelming evidence linking widespread infant hospitalizations to the contaminated formula reached government officials as early as mid-July, but only recently has the issue been leaked to the press. Clearly the Chinese government covered the story up for the duration of the Olympic Games, so as not to cause the widespread international outcry that would inevitably follow. While the Chinese government may have temporarily saved face, thousands of children were being poisoned because the general populace was not aware of the contaminated formula.
This reactionary mode of operation is nothing new for the single-party government. In the early 1990s, a cover-up of an AIDS epidemic occurred in central China, in 2003 the SARS outbreak was quieted for as long as possible, and in 2004, 13 babies died from formula with no nutritional value before the administration acted on the parents' complaints. While the central government blames local officials as the cause of the problems, it is clear that top-tier officials had a hand to play in each of the cover-ups listed. This is especially true in this latest round concerning Sanlu, as Beijing's international prestige was at stake. In fact, a popular rhyme confirms the party's concern about the Olympic Games, roughly translated as "We worked real hard for half a year, now we're suddenly back to before the Games were here."
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