Two men have been executed in China following their role in a scandal involving tainted milk powder. The powder resulted in the death of six children and left more than 300,000 other infants ill.
According to the BBC, the milk powder became contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in the making of plastics and fertilisers. When mixed with food products it can cause kidney stones and kidney failure.
Between July 2007 and August 2008 over 770 tonnes of the tainted milk powder was sold in China.
Mr Zhang Yujun was convicted of endangering public safety by dangerous means, and Mr Geng Jinping was convicted of supplying milk containing melamine. The Xianhua news agency confirmed that both were executed on Tuesday, but did not reveal where.
The company Sanlu Group, which was the main distributor of the tainted milk product, has now gone bankrupt following the scandal, which came after a series of similar food incidents.
The punishment may seem excessive for the guilty parties but it does highlight the importance of complying with health and safety measures effectively. Particularly distressing is that the milk product was obviously aimed at young children whose organs are still developing, which cruelly would make them more vulnerable to the kidney problems caused by the melamine.
In the UK, an injury brought on by a defective product could entitle an individual to claim compensation against either the manufacturer or the distributer of the product and there is the possibility of imprisonment if the party is found guilty. If someone had been responsible for importing the tainted milk powder in to the UK then the importer of the product could also have been potentially liable for any claim made.
