The scandal over tainted baby formula has spread to hit dozens of products [EPA]

Friday's edition of the China Daily newspaper gave no estimate of the number of children who might be affected, but said the figures came from "a recent citywide health check" of children aged under three.

Some 54,000 children have been sickened and four have died across China after consuming milk or milk products tainted with the toxic industrial chemical melamine.

The chemical, normally used in manufacturing plastic, is thought to have been added by suppliers to disguise the protein levels of watered-down milk.

If ingested melamine can cause kidney stones and other potentially fatal complications.

The scare initially centred on baby formula made by China's Sanlu dairy group, but investigations have since found the contamination has extended into many other companies and products.

Milk ban

On Friday health officials in Taiwan said that three children had been diagnosed as suffering from possible kidney stones caused by tainted milk formula.

The news came a day after the European Union joined a growing list of regions that have banned Chinese-made food, linked to the tainted milk.

The scandal has caused widespread alarm in China, with thousands of anxious parents lining up outside hospitals across the country to have their children examined.

However Friday saw reporting of the scandal scaled back in state media amid blanket coverage of China's successful launch of its third manned space mission.

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