From waste leather to drug capsules: Toxic gelatin factory exposed in Hebei
Alia | April 17th, 2012 - 9:23 pm
The latest item on the toxic food list in China is drug capsules made of industrial gelatin extracted from bleached waste leathers. Such capsules can cause cancer due to high level of chromium resulting from leather tanning processing. As of now, China has banned the sale of 13 drugs and arrested 22 for allegedly making and selling capsules made from discarded leather.
From waste leather to drug capsules:
Below are pictures from Xue Yang Ming Gelatin Protein Factory in Hengshui, Hebei Pronvice. The factory was reported to sell waste leather gelatin to drug capsule manufacturers in Zhejiang Province.
Waste leather, aka, “blue leather”
“Blue leathers” soaked for days so that they are “white” and puffed up
Soaking plates for waster leather
Brewing facilities
Warehouse
Waste leather stocks
Waste water from the factory
The head of the factory has already been arrested and workshops shut down
[Source: NBD]
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[...] Rage and condemnation skyrocked again in China when people learned that drugs in the country may kill instead of cure. CCTV Weekly Quality Monitor exposed that some drug capsule manufacturers in the country have been using industrial gelatin extracted from bleached waste leathers rather than up-to-standard edible gelatin. Such waster leather gelatin can cause cancer due to high concentration of chromium. [To see how waster leathers are turned into drug capsules, click here]. [...]