...was a 40-year-old junior-high-school graduate, trained as a tailor, who had, presumably, switched to the chemical trading business to turn a quick buck. The question: did he fully understand the implications of what he did and the fact that the product made from the chemical he supplied would kill people, or did he do this out of ignorance---i.e., did he just see the term "glycol" and guess that the two compounds would be similar enough? For more, read here.
In addition to pointing out the need for establishing stricter GMP and quality standards, particularly raw material pedigrees, in China, the case brings up the issue of criminal penalties for counterfeiting, which remain lax around the world (although India recently voted to punish the crime with death).
-AMS
