Chinese city government rejects state television report of 500 high school students falling ill from chemical exposure
City government of Changzhou says only 133 students of nearly 600 tested reported abnormalities, including a ‘normal number’ with thyroid disorders
A city government in eastern China has rejected a report by the state broadcaster claiming nearly 500 students at fell ill after they moved to a new campus close to a contaminated former industrial site in September, saying only 133 students were tested with various abnormalities.
The city press office of Changzhou, in Jiangsu province said 597 students of the privately-run Changzhou Foreign Languages School had medical checkups in eight hospitals in the city, and test results showed 464 were healthy.
Among the 133 those who fell ill, 71 were found having thyroid nodules.
The response followed a report by the official China Central Television (CCTV) that 493 students had developed health problems, including bronchitis, blood and thyroid abnormalities, and even lymphoma and leukaemia, after the school moved last September to a new campus adjacent to a site that had been contaminated by three chemical plants.
In an apparent move to deny a link to pollution, the city government said thyroid nodules usually develop over a long period of time. They occur in about 7 per cent of teenagers aged 13 to 15, suggesting the abnormality rate among students in the school is in line with the general trend.
