Poisons Found in Chinese Food

China has published a list of 17 acids, chemicals and other substances that have been banned as food additives, amid a four-month safety campaign following a scandal over tainted milk.

Illegal items posted on the Chinese health ministry's list include boric acid, a chemical used as an insecticide or flame retardant that is known to be added to noodles or the skin of dumplings to increase their elasticity.

Formaldehyde, applied to dried seafood to improve its appearance, but also commonly used as a disinfectant, was another dangerous substance on the banned list, published on the ministry's website.

Some of the substances, such as the carcinogenic dye Sudan Red 1, had already been banned by the Government, but this was the first official compilation of illegal food additives in China.