China’s Legal Daily and other media reported on in April 2011 that stocks of bean sprouts for commercial sale in northeastern China had been found to be tainted with urea, the antibiotic enrofloxacin, 6-Benzylaminopurine and sodium nitrite, which Chinese media reports referred to as “known cancer-causing agents.” Reports say the agents are now being routinely used throughout China as a means of enhancing the look of bean sprouts for sale. In this cartoon, posted by the Kunming-based studio Yuan Jiao Man’s Space (圆觉漫时空) to QQ.com, a man laughs wickedly as he sprays sharp-toothed monster bean sprouts with a green watering can labeled “urea” that emits a gaseous-looking substance.
David Bandurski
CMP Director
