AFTER THE PLASTIC RUNNING TRACKS and playgrounds in several schools in Shenzhen, Beijing and Hangzhou, were found to be hazardous to pupils' health, an in-depth report has uncovered an underground chain that recycles used tires without properly processing them. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

The story behind the manufacturing of hazardous playgrounds, as revealed by China Central Television, is almost sickening. Underground workstations simply collect used tires and cables, mix them together and put the mixture into a machine to produce the plastic material used for running tracks and playgrounds.

Some experts have called for stricter laws to regulate the recycling of tires and cables. But by saying so they are looking in the wrong direction, because it is not a problem with recycling. The problem lies in schools and education authorities' failure to supervise the quality of the running tracks.

Currently there are two national standards for plastic running tracks on campuses, but neither is mandatory and the manufacturers are simply "recommended" instead of "required" to follow them.

Even these two recommended standards lack proper restrictions on toxic substances such as benzoyl. That's why some playgrounds prove hazardous to pupils' health but meet the national standards.

Reports show that the education authorities and schools fail to properly check the quality of the running tracks. In previous reports, a playground in a primary school in Beijing emitted very bad smell but the school officials accepted it and required teachers and pupils to use it.

As the pupils have already been suffering from health problems, an investigation is needed to find out whether those checking the quality of playgrounds have failed in their duty or taken bribes.

It is time to fill in all these loopholes. Proposed measures include: Drafting a mandatory national standard, and holding those failing quality control answerable for their misdeeds. And please accelerate the process because the pupils' health cannot afford to be ignored.