20 tons of poisonous salt being sold as edible salt in China

Photo: stl.com @ Flickr
Photo: stl.com @ Flickr

Show caution if you buy salt in China’s Henan province. A large amount if industrial salt has allegedly entered the marked and is being sold as table salt.

More than 20 tons of industrial salt camouflaged as normal edible salt are believed to be on market in central China’s Henan Province, officials said following a swoop on an underground workshop in the provincial capital Zhengzhou.

The local administration and police raided the den on Wednesday after receiving a tip. They confiscated nearly 28 tons of fake edible salt, described as Zhengzhou’s biggest haul, according to the People’s Daily website.

Usually, industrial salt is mostly poisonous nitrites, which can cause chronic poisoning with symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, laxness and general weakness. Eating more than 3 grams of nitrites can be fatal. But industrial salt is usually much cheaper than table salt, luring unscrupulous vendors to engage in illegal business.

Read the full story: Shanghai Daily

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