More than 6200 babies have become ill in China as a result of drinking infant formula made from milk contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.

China’s health minister Chen Zhu at a press conference on 17 September, said, “Three babies have died of kidney failure, 158 more have acute kidney failure and 1327 babies remain in hospital.” A day later the death toll rose to four.

Melamine, used to boost the protein concentration of cow’s milk when it is tested before sale to milk product manufacturers, was first found in baby formula manufactured by the state owned Sanlu Group, based in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, and …