Tens of Thousands Sickened by Chinese Milk Products

Tainted toys, pet food, toothpaste... the scandal sheet goes on in China with the melamine-tainted milk powder that's sickened tens of thousands. Now a report of illness comes from beyond the mainland, with a 3-year-old in Hong Kong suffering kidney stones after drinking Chinese dairy products. And Singapore discovered melamine in a Chinese dairy-based candy, while Canada warned consumers not to touch an imported Chinese dessert, Nissin Cha Cha Dessert, which has tested positive for melamine.

Here are the stats as of this writing:

• Four Chinese children have died

• Nearly 53,000 kids in Chinese made ill

• 80 percent of the nearly 13,000 hospitalized under age 2

• 104 of those are in serious condition

Once the Chinese government actually admits contamination of this magnitude (Chinese officials were first informed of a problem Aug. 8; they told the public on Sept. 11), they next look for a scapegoat. What would be better is if they actually got serious about looking for solutions to keep tainted products from hitting shelves again.