MEDICAL waste such as drip bags, syringes and needles is being illegally used by Chinese factories to make toys for young children, an investigation has found.
According to an undercover probe, dodgy manufacturers are buying hospital refuse which are then shredded and made into a range of products which also includes bags, tableware and disposable cups.
The shocking revelations were unearthed by a consumer rights show on the Chinese broadcaster CCTV, reports South China Morning Post.
Undercover reporters visited factories in Henan, Hebei, Shandong and Shanxi provinces and found the cash saving practise was widespread.
One factory boss told a reporter that it had become “the norm” for local businesses to use the materials in toys.
South China Morning Post reports that police have raided several of the business accused of the practise.
Among hospital waste toys which are on sale in China and exported are windmills and bubble bottles.
The show also found that soiled adult nappies were being unhygienically recycled into new ones.
A worker told a CCTV reporter: “[the recycled diapers] won’t meet health standards because they’re made from waste.”
Used sanitary pads as well as diapers are dumped into a shredder before made into new products with the users none the wiser.
People in the Chinese social media site Weibo have reacted in disgust and horror.
One said: “What is the bottom line of our society?”
Another asked: “I just want to know what is actually safe for us [to use].”
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