Six arrested over lead found in kids' meals

Officials face scrutiny after at least 201 kindergartners hospitalized in Gansu

Police in northwestern China have arrested six suspects after more than 200 children were found to have high levels of lead in their blood at a privately run kindergarten, authorities said.

Seventeen officials have also been placed under disciplinary investigation, and 10 others, including senior health and education officials in Tianshui city and its Maiji district, Gansu province, face formal accountability procedures, according to a report released on Sunday.

Investigators found the lead exposure came from food prepared at the Peixin Kindergarten, not from environmental contamination. Tests of air, water and soil in the area found no lead pollution.