…The city of Guangzhou's Municipal Food and Drug Administration…said inspections…found unsafe levels of cadmium in 44.4 percent of all rice and rice products [among which many are grown in Hunan]…Cadmium is…"a toxic element for humans, mainly affecting the kidneys and skeleton."…The problem was apparently detected in 2002 by a major Guangdong wholesaler, Shenzhen Cereals Group (SZCG), according to Chen Jian…of the Changsha Grain Depot run by China Grain Reserves Corp [Sinograin]…[I]n 2009…state media reported that cadmium poisoning had sickened hundreds of people and killed two…Agriculture officials…agreed that SZCG, which reported excessive toxins in…rice, would get a refund and could return to Hunan all contaminated grain. But was the bad rice shipped back to its source, or did SZCG sell it in Guangdong?…SZCG officials…show reporters more than 200 receipts they said proved the grain was shipped back to Hunan…A SZCG spokesman subsequently changed the official tune, claiming the company could only guarantee that it had not sold tainted rice directly to consumers.