China’s Milk Scandal

BEIJING (AP) — The number of infants Chinese health officials say were sickened by tainted milk powder doubled Monday to more than 1,200 as police announce the first arrests in the spreading scandal. The Health Ministry said a second infant had died of kidney failure after drinking Sanlu brand milk powder spiked with the industrial chemical melamine. The company says suppliers who sold the raw milk apparently added the chemical, normally used in plastics, to make the milk seem higher in protein. Vice Health Minister Ma Xiaowei told reporters at a news conference that 1,253 infants had been sickened — mainly after developing kidney stones — more than twice the number previously acknowledged. Of those 913 of the infants were only slightly affected, while 340 remained hospitalized and 53 cases were considered especially severe, he said.