VZCZCXRO9586
RR RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHGZ #0127/01 0540915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230915Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0293
INFO RUEHGZ/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE 0107
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0104
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC 0104
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC 0008
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ISA/AP// 0005
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5// 0003
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5// 0013

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000127 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, OES/IHA 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
STATE PASS TO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE 
CDC FOR OGHA AND DIV-FLU 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP 
HHS PASS TO FIC/NIH 
USDA PASS TO APHIS, FAS (OSTA AND OCRA), FSIS 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID 
BEIJING FOR HHS HEALTH ATTACHE AND RMO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR KFLU SOCI CH
SUBJECT: Think Twice about that Scrumptious Sliver of Pig Liver: 
Contaminated Pig Organs Sicken 70 in Guangdong 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Another day, another adulterated food problem. 
Pork tainted with the chemical clenbuterol has severely sickened 70 
in Guangdong.  An illegal pig-feed additive, clenbuterol, continues 
to be used by pig farmers to improve the quality of meat and 
increase wholesale profits, but with a not so negligible negative 
side effect on health.  The largely unsupervised import of pigs from 
other provinces and Guangzhou's low rate of wholesale pork 
inspections suggest that efforts to improve Guangdong's food safety 
regime still fall short.   End summary. 
 
------------- 
Poisoned Pork 
------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Local authorities have reported that food poisoning from 
locally purchased contaminated pork resulted in the hospitalization 
of 70 Guangzhou residents over the weekend.  According to Wang 
Goubin, a Guangzhou Municipal Health Bureau official, 67 people have 
been released from the hospital following treatment, while three 
remain under observation but in stable condition. 
 
¶3. (U) According to media reports, in the last decade, over 1,700 
people have been affected by clenbuterol poisoning in China.  In 
November 2008, 70 residents in Zhejiang province's Jiaxing City were 
poisoned by clenbuterol-tainted pork, while another 336 
Shanghai-residents were poisoned in 2006. 
 
-------------------- 
Ensuring Food Safety 
-------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to officials at the Guangzhou Food Safety Office, 
the pork is believed to have originated from several farms in Hunan 
province.  Authorities said farmers mixed their pig feed with 
clenbuterol; pig dealers have forged quarantine certificates making 
it easier to circulate tainted pork in Guangzhou markets.  These 
pigs mostly end up in Guangzhou's Tianhe District and Zengcheng City 
through the Tianhe Livestock Wholesale Market, a legally registered 
venue.  Staff from the Guangzhou (Tianhe District) Veterinary 
Station of Epidemic Prevention and Supervision are stationed at the 
market, and conduct first-line inspections.  Duan Xiaodong, Director 
of the Guangzhou Station said that the inspection failed to catch 
the tainted pork because the fake quarantine certificates were 
identical to authentic ones.  Press reports indicated that three 
suspects have been detained under suspicion for selling the 
contaminated pork. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The case points to a failure in the system, according to 
Luo Daoxu, Division Chief of the Guangdong Agriculture Department. 
He explained that food safety is supervised by four entities, 
including the Agriculture Department, the Administration of Industry 
and Commerce, the Health Department, and the Technical Supervision 
Bureau.  However, cooperation among them is often difficult to 
orchestrate.  In addition, over 50% of the pigs supplied to 
Guangdong come from other provinces, with little inter-provincial 
supervisory coordination.  Guangzhou currently spot inspects 5% of 
the pork sold in the city's wholesale markets. 
 
-------------------------- 
The Dangers of Clenbuterol 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Although banned in China as a pig-feed additive, the use of 
clenbuterol continues among some pig farmers, but the extent of its 
use is unknown.  Clenbuterol enhances lean muscle in pigs.  A toxin 
that usually collects in the lungs, liver, and kidneys, clenbuterol 
is not eliminated under normal cooking conditions.  According to 
media reports, pig organs can remain contaminated with the chemical 
in conditions up to 172 degrees Celsius.  Humans exposed to 
clenbuterol may experience dizziness, headaches, palpitations, 
and/or agitation; those who have heart problems or diabetes are 
affected more severely.  Long-term consumption can lead to tumors, 
while excess consumption can lead to death. 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000127  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
GOLDBERG