Crackdown launched to get rid of 'toxic tracks'

Procedures,standards vary overseas

Japan:

Primary and middle schools, and even universities in Japan use sand and soil running tracks. These are made of a compressed mixture of at least three types of sand and soil, which are believed to be natural and safe and to have benefits such as elasticity and porousness to drain water.

South Korea:

Only 24 percent of the country's primary and middle schools use synthetic running tracks. The government ordered an overall investigation of all school running tracks from March to June, and any that didn't meet standards were to be replaced by more environmentally friendly ones.

The United Kingdom:

School running tracks must be certified by inspectors as being of good quality and condition before they may be used.

The United States:

Most schools in the US use rubber and plastic running tracks, and any procedure or data concerning the bidding for building running tracks at school must be open to the public.