Health Law

70 Ill After Eating Steriod Tainted Pork In China

By Marler Clark

State media in China is reporting that at least 70 people have fallen ill after eating pork treated with the steroid clenbuterol, which is used to prevent animals from gaining fat, BBC News reported.  The China Daily said on Monday that the people involved suffered from stomach pains and diarrhea after eating the tainted pork in southern China's Guangdong province over the past few days, with three victims still in hospital.  Clenbuterol, a drug often given to people to treat asthma, has been administered to pigs in China to reduce their fat, despite being a banned food additive.  The drug can sometimes be fatal for humans, although some athletes have used it to illegally build muscle.  In 2006, some 336 people in Shanghai were hospitalized after eating pig meat or organs contaminated with the additive, the China Daily said.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on February 23, 2009 (boomark / email).