Synthetic track at Beijing school scrutinized after students take ill
Print Edition
BEIJING’S education authority yesterday launched an investigation into a synthetic racetrack at an elementary school that was emitting excessive amounts of poisonous substances.
Tests on the track this week, nine months after it was put into use, showed excessive amounts of benzene and formaldehyde at the Baiyunlu campus of Beijing No.2 Experimental School in Xicheng District, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The Xicheng education commission has ordered that the track be covered with a protective coating, and promised to hold those responsible accountable.
Medical staff will be despatched to the school to provide treatment and support for students.
Poisonous plastic racetracks have been a matter of serious concern since several kindergartens and schools in Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shanghai experienced similar problems.
More than 200 students at the Baiyunlu campus suffered from nosebleeds, dizzy spells and coughs, after running on the track last month, Beijing News reported yesterday, adding that older students displayed the most serious symptoms.
The school has more than 1,000 students in 28 classes, said the newspaper.
Fourth, fifth and sixth graders used the racetrack to prepare for a sports event every day last week, a father surnamed Chen told the newspaper.
“Many students began to suffer from nosebleeds and dizzy spells after that and some asked for sick leave,” said Chen. “Only nine of the 40 students in my child’s class went to school on Thursday.”
A mother surnamed Zhang said her family doctor asked whether their home had been decorated recently after her teenager complained of a nosebleed.
Parents said the school had invited them to meetings with education officials and representatives from the track company this week.
Educational officials said the track is a government-owned asset and would only be removed if a test report confirms it is not up to standard.
The district education bureau report said rubber materials used to make the track passed a safety test prior to construction, but parents questioned whether the company had constructed it properly and whether the glue it used was safe.
A thorough inspection of facilities at several other schools will be carried out, said Xinhua.
Similar cases have also occurred in Jiangsu, Guangdong and other provinces.
Most schools affected, including two kindergartens in Shanghai, removed the problem tracks after the media reported that children had become ill.
The Ministry of Education said it has clear regulations governing the installation of synthetic racetracks in schools. However, they have not been fully implemented in some areas.
Wang Dinghua, an official in charge of elementary education with the ministry, said lax supervision is the major reason for such incidents.
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