Chinese School Closed After Suspected Pollution Causes Mass Nosebleeds

Chinese tourists wait for watching the customary ceremony of lowering flag on the Tiananmen Square at dangerous levels of air pollution on June 28, 2013 in Beijing, China. Nosebleeds, possibly linked to high pollution levels, were reported recently in a Zhejiang elementary school. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

A primary school in Zhejiang Province was temporarily closed after 20 pupils showed symptoms of air pollution sickness last Wednesday, including nosebleeds and vomiting.

Located in Leqing City, the No. 9 Primary School in Beibaixiang township has around 1,200 students, and over 60 teachers and staff workers.

The school is surrounded by over 30 factories and workshops within about a half-mile radius, according to the state media Global Times. An investigation revealed that 28 of these plants have not had their exhaust gas levels approved.

The investigators also checked inside the school, and found that the desks and chairs plus some classroom walls had just been painted.

The children were moved to another school on Monday to keep attending their classes while the investigation continued.