Parents call for action over 'toxic tracks'
By Sun Xiaochen (China Daily)
Updated: 2016-06-22 07:58
CommentsPrintMailLargeMediumSmall
Parents call for action over 'toxic tracks'
A parent checks the running track at the Baiyunlu campus of Beijing No 2 Experimental Primary School. DENG JIA/CHINA DAILYAuthorities continue investigations after children across the country reported feeling unwell after playing on synthetic surfaces. Sun Xiaochen reports.
While excavators dismantled the synthetic surface at the Baiyunlu campus of Beijing No 2 Experimental Primary School on Sunday, a group of parents watched carefully, despite the noise of machinery, the swirling dust and the stench of plastic debris.
Like the surface of the playground, the parents' trust in the school and local educational authority has been shredded as a result of a recent health scare related to the facility, according to one parent, the mother of a fourth-grader, who preferred not to be named.
She is one of dozens of parents who claim their children were poisoned by toxic substances emitted by a synthetic running track that was laid last year. They cited a range of symptoms including nosebleeds, coughs and skin allergies that have affected at least 40 students since April.
"Removing the running surface is easy but are they (the authorities) determined to dig deeper to uncover the real reasons for the problem and those who should be held accountable? We doubt it," she said.
The claims followed a number of incidents in which students have been left feeling unwell after exposure to potentially toxic artificial sports fields at schools in at least 15 cities, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.
However, on June 14, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission announced that a follow-up air quality test conducted by the China National Environmental Monitoring Center indicated that the campus facilities adhered to the quality standards for national environmental monitoring and synthetic playgrounds.
Although six parents' representatives witnessed the tests, along with a third-party notary agency, some parents remain skeptical. "It's hard to believe the results went against the actual illnesses that so many children had at the same time, all with similar symptoms. Something must be wrong," a parent surnamed Chen told Beijing News on June 15.
In response, the Beijing Education Commission ordered an inspection of all synthetic sports fields on campuses, and suspended construction of playgrounds until new guidelines are formulated.
The commission said it will work with quality-control and environmental protection departments and professional organizations to draft and implement tougher, more-detailed guidelines for the manufacture, construction and assessment of playgrounds to guarantee safe use.
"Our priority is the children's health. If the investigation concludes that the playground materials contain toxic chemicals, we will track down those responsible," said Ding Dawei, director of the commission's branch in the Xicheng district.
深圳长欣自动化设备有限公司 以停产控制系统零部件、为领先优势、我们有大量库存和盈余操纵系统零件、停产的控制系统部分硬件、我们也发布了许多的硬件和产品来支持你现有的控制系统或运用最新的控制技术、停产的“DCS系统备品 备件 PLC模块 备件”整机及配件系列、有着强大的优势只要您需要的PLC产品、我们就能帮您找到。公司以“专业、 诚信、创新、合作、共赢”的经营理念、不断开发新产品、为客户提供优质服务、以最大限度追求客户满意度、并不断开拓新领域业务,充足库存,交货期快,欢迎 致电查询!