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Showing posts from September 19, 2008

Chinese parents seek answers on tainted baby milk

SHIJIAZHUANG, China - Hundreds of Chinese parents, some cradling infants, converged on the company at the heart of the tainted baby formula scandal Thursday, demanding refunds and asking what they can safely feed their children. Thousands of others filled hospitals, many hovering over sons and daughters hooked to IVs after drinking milk powder tainted with melamine , a toxic industrial chemical that can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. The scandal highlights the changing family dynamics and economic growth in China. A generation ago, women had little choice besides breast-feeding. Now, supermarkets are filled with dozens of brands of baby formula, marketed to women who work outside the home after they give birth. Yao Haoge, an 11-month-old baby with two large kidney stones, had been drinking Sanlu formula since she was born because both of her parents work. They had been puzzled by their little girl's fevers and dark urine, but it never o