The BBC reports that 233 children in northwest China were hospitalized with lead poisoning after their kindergarten cooks decided to jazz up snacks with industrial paint containing lead.

Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui City, Gansu province, served up what sounded like fun treats—steamed red date cakes and corn sausage buns. Unfortunately, they were accidentally spiked with lead levels more than 2,000 times over China’s national safety limit.

The paint, which was clearly labeled inedible, was purchased online at the request of the school’s principal. He believed that a bit of visual flair was worth overriding basic food safety. Eight people, including the principal and the kindergarten’s main investor, have since been arrested on suspicion of producing toxic food.

Parents began sounding the alarm in March after their kids started showing worrying symptoms like leg pain, loss of appetite, and stomach issues. One father, Mr. Liu, told the BBC that his son now requires 10 days of hospital treatment after tests confirmed elevated lead levels.

A Chef In China Accidentally Poisoned 233 Preschool Children with Plate Decoration

Authorities started looking into the matter after several parents whose children all went to the same school suddenly started reporting illnesses to local officials. CCTV footage was eventually obtained and aired on Chinese state media.

It showed staff adding pigment directly into dough that would go on to be fed to the children. That pigment was later found in the aforementioned date cakes, giving them a lead level of 1,052 mg/kg. The sausage rolls clocked in at 1,340 mg/kg. To put that into perspective, China’s legal lead limit in food is 0.5 mg/kg.

The Mayor of Tianshui promises reforms that will supposedly prevent something like this from happening again. Though it’s hard to police the random culinary whims of a dimwitted school principal who acknowledges and then actively ignores warning labels that clearly state that a bucket of industrial paint is not meant for consumption.

Lead poisoning isn’t just a one-off illness that you can bounce right back from. It can potentially lead to lifelong damage, especially if children are affected. Brain development and organ function could be impacted.