Kindergartners recovering; teacher suspected of poisoning them

Most of the children believed to have been poisoned by a kindergarten teacher in Jiaozuo, Henan province, have been discharged from the hospital.

According to a statement by the Jiaozuo government on Tuesday, one child in more serious condition was transferred to Zhengzhou for treatment, while another six remain in the hospital for observation.

A preliminary investigation found that the children had ingested sodium nitrite, which is used for curing meat but can be toxic in high amounts.

Although the police said in their statement that they have not yet established a motive, a report on Monday by Shangyou News, a news outlet under Chongqing Daily, quoted Jiaozuo police sources as saying that a teacher sought revenge on a colleague after a dispute and decided to poison the children's food.

A kindergarten teacher, surnamed Wang, was detained after she allegedly put sodium nitrite into their morning porridge.

The victims, all students at Mengmeng Kindergarten, a private kindergarten in Jiaozuo, were taken to the hospital with symptoms of vomiting and fainting after breakfast supplied by the school on March 27. Around 64 children are enrolled at the school.

Nitrite is also a possible carcinogen, and is used in fertilizers, food preservation and even munitions. The intake of more than 0.3 grams of nitrite can lead to an increased heart rate, headache, vomiting and even death, according to China Economic Net.

The kindergarten was closed, and the children were all transferred elsewhere, local authorities said.

The matter remains under investigation, the police said.

The incident in Jiaozuo came just before a new regulation took effect on Monday, requiring school officials from kindergartens to secondary schools to eat school food with their students in canteens.

Under the regulation, schools are now required to publicly identify food sources and suppliers, and set up risk prevention and control systems.