Puberty baby in milk test wrangle
By Wang Qingchu |
November 2, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE parents of a baby who showed signs of puberty at four months old could not establish if milk powder caused the condition as no one would pay for a test.
Baby boy Xiao Bao from Changkai County of Linchuan District, Jiangxi's Fuzhou City, started to develop breasts and grow pubic hair after he was fed milk made from powder produced by Hong Kong Wissun Group for a fortnight.
His mother, Chen Yanping, suspected the milk caused the condition, as he had been fine when fed breast milk, Jxcn.cn, a news portal of Jiangxi Province, reported yesterday.
However, Chen was unable to prove if her hunch was correct as the owner of the shop where she brought the milk refused to pay test fees and medical bills.
Chen filed a complaint to the Changkai branch of Linchuan District's Administration of Industry and Commerce. However, the authorities said they cannot punish the shop owner as no evidence was found linking the milk to early puberty.
According to regulations, a person who demands a test should pay for the fees initially. If quality issues are discovered, then the fees would be reimbursed by the producer or supplier.
But if no quality issues are detected, the consumer should bear the cost, the director of the local administration of industry and commerce said.
A lawyer questioned the local authorities' practice, saying the producer should be required to prove its innocence. If the producer fails to do so, it should take responsibility and compensate victims, said Mao Qunfan, a lawyer with Jiangxi-based Minjian Law Firm.
The boy was diagnosed with premature sexual development by Jiangxi Children's Hospital on October 24. Numerous factors could cause this, with milk powder being just one.
The authorities seized milk products after finding the shop was conducting business without license, and ordered Chen and the shop owner to solve the dispute privately through consultation.
The supplier of Wissun milk in Fuzhou cleared itself of the responsibility, saying the shop owner didn't buy the products from it.
So far, no conclusion has been reached.
Baby boy Xiao Bao from Changkai County of Linchuan District, Jiangxi's Fuzhou City, started to develop breasts and grow pubic hair after he was fed milk made from powder produced by Hong Kong Wissun Group for a fortnight.
His mother, Chen Yanping, suspected the milk caused the condition, as he had been fine when fed breast milk, Jxcn.cn, a news portal of Jiangxi Province, reported yesterday.
However, Chen was unable to prove if her hunch was correct as the owner of the shop where she brought the milk refused to pay test fees and medical bills.
Chen filed a complaint to the Changkai branch of Linchuan District's Administration of Industry and Commerce. However, the authorities said they cannot punish the shop owner as no evidence was found linking the milk to early puberty.
According to regulations, a person who demands a test should pay for the fees initially. If quality issues are discovered, then the fees would be reimbursed by the producer or supplier.
But if no quality issues are detected, the consumer should bear the cost, the director of the local administration of industry and commerce said.
A lawyer questioned the local authorities' practice, saying the producer should be required to prove its innocence. If the producer fails to do so, it should take responsibility and compensate victims, said Mao Qunfan, a lawyer with Jiangxi-based Minjian Law Firm.
The boy was diagnosed with premature sexual development by Jiangxi Children's Hospital on October 24. Numerous factors could cause this, with milk powder being just one.
The authorities seized milk products after finding the shop was conducting business without license, and ordered Chen and the shop owner to solve the dispute privately through consultation.
The supplier of Wissun milk in Fuzhou cleared itself of the responsibility, saying the shop owner didn't buy the products from it.
So far, no conclusion has been reached.
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