The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is investigating the medical equipment that it donated to a charity in China after the shipment was reportedly found to be dirty and expired.

"Latter-day Saint Charities has very high standards of quality control," a church statement reads. "We expect all supplies we ship to be clean, usable and in good repair. Consequently, we are taking this situation very seriously and have asked that the containers be returned to us so we can investigate the matter."

The humanitarian organization, Latter-day Saint Charities, is supported by the LDS Church. It works with governments, charities and other groups around the world to provide things such as vision treatment, neonatal resuscitation training and clean water and to distribute wheelchairs.

According to the Associated Press, thousands of pounds of medical equipment will be returned because it includes stained bedding, used surgical clothes and expired medical equipment.

China Charity, the country's largest charitable organization, said three containers of donations from Salt Lake City were found to be of questionable quality and would be sent back. The containers were sent to charitable organizations in Beijing and the northern provinces of Anhui and Hebei.

The Beijing News Web site said custom inspectors in Beijing found medical pipes that expired in 1998, dirty, mildewed sheets and used surgical gowns in one of the shipments. Similar unsanitary supplies were found in the shipments sent to Anhui and Hebei, it said.

The shipment for Anhui alone totaled 926 boxes and weighed 15,000 pounds, the newspaper said.

A church spokesman in Hong Kong said he was surprised by the report.

"That sounds extremely unusual," said Richard Hunter, spokesman for the church in Hong Kong. "Whatever we send is usually, well, it's always first-class equipment, so that surprises me greatly."

The official statement by the church said LDS Charities "has worked successfully for many years with China Charities Federation on such projects. . . . We value the partnership we have developed in China."

Medical shipments the church sends normally include items such as surgical gloves, bandages and medical tubing. These are still in sterile packaging when sent, the release said.

The statement also said the church does not ship pharmaceuticals. Used items are inspected and repaired as needed, and clothing is washed and inspected.

The church has done and is still doing extensive humanitarian work in China.

This year, the church distributed 2,750 new wheelchairs and another 2,000 are slated for distribution. Over the past three years, it has purchased 130,000 wheelchairs in China that have been donated in more than 80 countries worldwide. The church also sent a team of six medical professionals to China, who trained 52 trainers in the country in Neonatal Resuscitation Training Skills.

Providing clean water to 18 villages that will benefit 28,000 people is part of the church's current work.

"We regret any difficulties caused by the shipment in question and will work diligently to resolve this matter quickly," the statement said.

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