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wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Mystery Growing Over Poisoned School Meal
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/117_35311.html

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Police are investigating how a toxic chemical was mixed with fried eel, which was served as a school meal and made some 30 students sick at an elementary school in Yeongi, South Chungcheong Province.

Thirty-one students suffered from bouts of dizziness and vomiting after having school lunch last Tuesday. Two of them became seriously ill but their condition has since improved. As their symptoms were different from ordinary food poisoning, the food authorities examined the meal and found carbofuran, a toxic pesticide, in the fried eel.

The eel was imported frozen from Peru in June. A food company in Gyeonggi Province bought some 500 kilograms of the eel in October and distributed about half of it to the school and other places in Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces. Police asked the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to examine the eel, while the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) banned sales of the product.

``We don't know yet whether the eel contained the toxic chemical or the substance was put in while frying the eel or making seasoning,'' a police officer said.

The food authorities say it is unlikely that carbofuran was contained in the eel, as the eel was not raised on farms but caught in the sea. It was also imported and has been kept frozen, a KFDA official said. The fried eel was provided to three schools including the one in question, but only some of the students of that school showed symptoms ― a high chance that the chemical was put in the food just before being served, either on purpose or by mistake, police said.

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xingyiman · Joined: 12 Jan 2006

Hmmm, I wonder how long it will take the netizens to slap this on some male, ESL teacher whose here illegally and has been banging Korean chicks?

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

And they thought US beef was going to poison the children.

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

sojourner1 · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject:

If the eel had been caught in local waters, then that would explain why it's toxic, but it was caught of the coast of South America where it's quite a bitter cleaner environment than NE Asia. It's possible the pesticide got in via the red pepper powder or sauce if that batch had an excessive amount put on it such as when the peppers were drying in the Fall. There are many old ladies growing and processing the local food and it's possible for a mistake like to happen, especially if one is losing her mind. It's said there are a lot of pesticides in Korean food so it's possible they could had put too much in it by accident.

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

Wonder if the principal made them stay in class for the rest of the day.

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Why only 31 kids?

sojourner1 · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:01 am Post subject:

Hey this is no laughing matter. OK, it's kinda funny that some old lady mighta lost her mind and accidentally put too much sh*t on them there red hot chili peppers to keep bugs off as they dried in the balmy September sun on the side of a street right in the vicinity of soju'd up adjoshies hawking loogies.