China orders milk powder probe after babies develop breasts

Haihua said food safety authorities were already testing samples of milk powder made by Syrutra,a Qingdao-based company following reports that three infant babies had over grown breasts attributed to excessive use of hormones.

They were also conducting a medical investigation into the cause of the infants8217; conditions in consultation with medical experts,he said.

Deng said causes for sexual precocity of children were complicated and could be caused by a wide range of factors,and experts had no way to definitely determine if food or environmental factors were involved.

Media reports said parents and doctors in Hubei had feared that hormones in milk powder produced by Syrutra had caused at least three infant girls to develop prematurely.

According to the official Xinhua news agency,another case was reported in Beijing.

Yesterday,reports said local food safety officials had earlier refused requests by parents to investigate the formula made by the company.

The reports said three children aged between four to 15 developed abnormal growth of breasts.

A mother of a child alleged that she was offered compensation of around USD 300 which she refused.