A local standard for regulating plastic running tracks is being established following a spate of incidents across China in which children have become ill after breathing noxious fumes, Shanghai's quality watchdog said yesterday.
The standard, the first of its kind in China, will cover both materials and installation methods, according to Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
The bureau is working with the Shanghai Education Commission to plan the implementation of the standard, which will come into effect within a month, the bureau said.
"The standard mainly focuses on the construction techniques and materials, and it will tackle the problem of lax management of the use of materials and installation methods," said Shen Weimin, deputy director of the bureau.
There have been reports of running tracks at at least 30 schools in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Beijing emitting offensive odors since 2014, sparking safety fears among parents.
The latest incident happened at the Baiyun Road annex of Beijing No.2 Experimental Primary School. Beijing Times reported on June 4 that 239 students had suffered nosebleeds, dizziness, rashes and eye irritation since September. Blood tests showed that 56 students had abnormal platelet and lymphocyte counts.
The school's playground was completed last summer, and had been emitting noxious fumes, it reported.
In October last year, a running track at Pujiang Town No. 1 Kindergarten in Minhang District was pulled up after some pupils suffered from coughs, nosebleeds and rashes. Tests found it had an excessive lead content.
