School ordered to remove running tracks
Print Edition
SCHOOLS across China have been ordered to remove running tracks that have been blamed for sickening students in the latest of a long line of product scandals to hit the country.
A statement on the Ministry of Education’s website said inspections will be carried out by environmental and consumer protection departments in schools during the summer school break.
Tracks found to be unsafe will be removed, the statement said. No new tracks will be laid until the contractors are properly vetted to ensure they meet the industry standards.
Officials and others involved in the project will be probed for possible negligence and corruption. Those found guilty “will be shown no mercy,” the statement said.
Tracks made from recycled tires and other industrial wastes are believed to have caused dizziness, nosebleeds and respiratory problems among students in Beijing and several outlying provinces.
Authorities have shut down nine factories and detained some executives after reports that toxic industrial waste was used to make running tracks used in schools.
Inspectors have sealed machines, materials and semi-finished products from the factories.
China Central Television reported earlier this week that running track factories in Cangzhou and Baoding cities in north China’s Hebei Province were using scrap rubbers and recycled industrial waste as materials, which contain toxic substances.
A man surnamed Pan, who claimed to have several contracts for schools in Beijing, said they use whatever rubber they get, from automobile tires to electrical wires, to cut costs, CCTV reported.
He admitted the running tracks pose health risks to children.
“The materials are not environmental-friendly. Toxic substances will emit gradually and sicken students.”
Pan charged about 80 yuan (US$12) for making and paving every square meter of running track. For safe ones with high quality, the pay is estimated to reach more than 1,000 yuan per square meter, CCTV found.
“The higher the price, the better the quality,” Pan told CCTV’s undercover reporter.
At least 30 schools in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Changzhou, Wuxi and Shenzhen, have reported cases of students falling sick after breathing toxic fumes emitted from newly-laid running tracks.
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