Toxic trouble: Chinese children fall ill after inhaling fumes from newly laid school running tracks
Investigation finds schools in Guangzhou and Jiangsu provinces have reported students suffering nosebleeds and dizziness, sparking concerns that building regulations must be improved
Toxic fumes given off by Chinese school running tracks, which have led to students falling sick, including suffering dizziness and nosebleeds, have sparked concerns that construction regulatory standards must be improved, mainland media reports.
A number of schools in Guangdong province have reported that children have felt ill after using tracks since the beginning of the new school term in September, the Shanghai-based online news outlet The Paper reported.
One running track at a school in Shenzhen was found to have been constructed using 20 times the permitted limit of the chemicals benzene and toluene, which can give off fumes causing dizziness.
Reports of children suffering nosebleeds after new running tracks were laid have also emerged in neighbouring Jiangsu province.
More than 500 pupils in Danyang have been wearing facial masks at their primary school because of the pungent odour coming from the new plastic running track.
Existing mainland regulations cover the quality and safety of track construction, to ensure the use of toxic substances, such as benzene and toluene, are controlled.
However, these regulations do not cover the use of adhesives and other additives that are widely applied when installing the soft plastic surface of the tracks, according to an investigation by The Paper.
Shi Jianhua, general manager of a Guangzhou-based chemical engineering company, who was on the committee drafting national standards for plastic running tracks, said construction bidding documents needed to include the use of these additional toxic additives and adhesives.
Another industry expert, Wang Xianwen of Chinese Athletic Association, said the use of polyurethane when building tracks often pushed up the construction costs, which had led some companies to save money by using cheaper materials.
