Kindergarten children's fingernails falling out

Mystery surrounds why the fingernails of children at a kindergarten in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang Province, are falling out.

Some 33 children at the Wenshou Kindergarten in Xiacheng District have problems with their nails, the Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Xiacheng District Center for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

These include nails lifting, cracking, developing white spots, festering and — in 17 children — falling out.

While some parents fear hazardous fumes from decorating work in 2012 may be a factor, tests say air quality meets national standards.

Health professionals say that a number of factors could be responsible.

A test for fungal infections on five children came back negative, although a blood test on one child showed a zinc deficiency.

"Reasons for nail problems can be varied and can include too much nutrition, malnutrition, fever and intestinal infection," said Zhan Jianying, deputy director of the children department of The Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

"Microelement deficiency — especially zinc deficiency — can be a main reason, and I suggest parents take their children for a test," added Zhan.

Some parents believe that the air in the kindergarten may contain hazardous fumes from decorating.

But last month two environmental safety tests — one by the local government, the other by a group hired by parents — concluded that the air met national standards.

"Teachers check the nails of every child every morning and we have disinfected all the floors and washed all the bedclothes," said kindergarten director Li Yuefang.

"But lately, few parents bring their children here," said Li.

In 2010, Wenshou Kindergarten, which is privately-run with 14 classes, was listed as a first class kindergarten by Hangzhou's education bureau.