It was just about two years ago when the news broke that almost 300,000 babies in China were affected by melamine-tainted milk. Sadly, there's more bad news for parents in China today.

 

Yesterday, watch groups in the Chinese province of Shanghai announced that they have received numerous reports that Synitra baby formula produced in China is causing unusually early sexual development in infants in several provinces on the Chinese mainland. Synitra baby formula is not on the shelf at local major supermarkets but is available on e-commerce websites.

 

In each of the reported cases, baby girls have started to grow breasts and show other signs of early pubescent development when they are as young as 1 year old. In all of the cases, the babies had been fed with Synitra formula since birth, according to Xinhua news agency.

 

Similar cases have been reported all over China in Wuhan, Hubei, Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangxi and Shanxi provinces. In extreme cases, a 10-month-old girl from Jiangxi Province, and an 8-month-old girl from Shandong Province also showed symptoms of early sexual development. A 3-month-old boy from Guangdong Province was also found to have an excess of the female hormone estrogen.

 

The Chinese government has not yet commented on these cases, but watch groups around China are urging parents to stop using Synitra immediately and to check in with their baby's doctor if they are concerned about potential health effects.