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BEIJING : Authorities in China say they found 25,000 tonnes of milk powder tainted with melamine, the same toxic chemical responsible for the deaths of six babies two years ago, earlier this year.
Chen Rui, deputy director of the health ministry's Food Safety and Health Supervision Bureau, said the toxic powder was discovered in February during a 10-day campaign to clean up "problem" dairy products.
"This campaign... also cleaned up a lot of milk powder that had not been completely destroyed in 2008," Chen said, according to a transcript of a Tuesday press briefing posted on the ministry's website.
It was not clear how much of the 25,000 tonnes was left over from 2008, when melamine, an industrial chemical normally used to make plastics, was found to have been added to milk powder to make it appear higher in protein.
At least six babies died and 300,000 others were made ill in a scandal that rocked the country's dairy industry and led to worldwide recalls of Chinese dairy products. Two people were executed for their role in the scandal.
China's government has repeatedly said that all tainted products were seized and destroyed at the time, and that there was no further public health threat, but reports of tainted items have continued to trickle out.
Last week, state media reported authorities had seized 76 tonnes of tainted milk powder which was traced back to a dairy factory in northwestern China's Qinghai province. Two company officials were detained.
- AFP/vm
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