Ministries investigate environmental concerns near school

A CCTV grab shows the arm of a sick student.

BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Education sent an inspection team to east China's Jiangsu province after media reports claimed that pollution near a school is threatening student health.

The ministry has launched an emergency inspection in the city of Changzhou, where the school is located. Inspectors will keep the public well-informed in a timely manner and work to protect students' physical and mental health, the ministry said in a statement.

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that it is working with the Jiangsu provincial government to investigate the case.

Chinese media reported that blood samples taken from students of Changzhou Foreign Languages School showed abnormal readings after the students have moved into the school's new campus. Many students have suffered from dermatitis and there are also cases of serious illnesses such as tumor and leukemia.

The abnormalities are suspected to be linked to soil contamination near the new campus at the site of several former chemical plants, as some experts reportedly said that underground water and air around the school have been tested and contain the same pollutants with those in the earth at the plants' site.