The playground of Baiyunlu Branch School of Beijing Second Experiment Primary School. (Photo/CNS)

Recently, some students from the Baiyunlu Branch School of Beijing Second Experiment Primary School experienced nosebleeds, dizziness and nausea. Parents suspect that the newly renovated playground may be the cause of those symptoms.

Mr. Chen, whose child attends the school, told a reporter that most of the children with severe reactions are from senior grades, perhaps because those students will participate in a sports festival soon, so they have been practicing a lot. "They spend almost the whole day on the playground these days," Chen said. 

According to Mr. Chen, many students have already asked for leave. "There are a total of 40 students in my child's class. On June 2, only nine students showed up at school."

Many parents have reported similar symptoms, such as dizziness, blurred vision, nosebleeds, coughing and red rashes. 

Parents recall their children complaining about the sharp smell of the newly renovated playground. The playground was updated last summer. This April, workers applied a new layer of paint to the equipment; at the end of May, workers again brushed on a new coat.

An employee of the school told the reporter that they applied the compound SPU to the playground at the end of May. SPU can prevent the diffusion of sharp smells. Now the playground no longer smells; however, there are questions about the effect of the compound in the summer heat. 

The education committee of Beijing's Xicheng District has issued a treatment suggestion on the incident on June 3, which said that the reverse investigation on the renovation work has begun, a special work group has been formed to investigate the incident and the result of the investigation will be reported the parents in no time.