Lawyers for the families of Chinese children sickened by tainted milk said yesterday that a compensation plan announced recently would likely be inadequate and lacked transparency, though they cautiously welcomed any move to help victims.

The Dairy Industry Association said 22 dairy producers would make a one-time cash payment to the families of at least six babies who died and the 294,000 other children who suffered kidney and urinary problems from drinking infant formula contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

They will also establish a fund to cover medical bills for future health problems, although it did not disclose an amount, Xinhua said. Calls to the association rang unanswered Sunday.

"Previously we didn't see any hope of the families being compensated, but now we do," Chang Boyang, a Henan-based lawyer who has provided legal assistance to families of children who became ill, told The Associated Press by phone.