Recently, multiple students at Wenhai Second Experimental School in Hangzhou have experienced symptoms such as nosebleeds and other discomforts. Some parents suspect a connection between their children’s symptoms and the emissions from a nearby tire factory. This news has gone viral on Baidu’s hot search list on July 15th.
On July 13th, several mainland Chinese netizens disclosed to Ji Muzi News that since moving into new school buildings around September 2024, multiple students at Wenhai Second Experimental School have been experiencing nosebleeds. One parent mentioned that over the past year, many students have had nosebleeds, rhinitis, recurrent sensation of foreign objects in the throat, and dry cough. Parents noticed that these symptoms significantly worsened after transitioning to the new campus, with children often smelling unpleasant odors on the playground and feeling dizzy after physical activities.
Posting on Tencent community on July 14th, a netizen named “Xiao Hua” shared that her seven-year-old child started attending first grade at Wenhai Second Experimental School in Hangzhou last September. During the Chinese New Year in 2025, the child started having nosebleeds and coughing, not the typical cold cough, but a dry one, making it feel like something was blocking the nose.
In June 2025, the school’s parent committee began compiling data on the students’ nosebleed symptoms and found that many children were affected. There was a classmate with severe symptoms, bleeding even while lying down. Some children also had swollen eyes. Since nosebleeds were intermittent, parents did not pay much attention at first.
“Xiao Hua” mentioned that after hearing about lead contamination at a kindergarten in Gansu Province, some parents took their children to the hospital for tests. These parents claimed that after describing the symptoms, the doctors directly attributed them to studying at Wenhai Second Experimental School.
Concerned about potential falsifications at local hospitals, “Xiao Hua” expressed her intention to take her child back to their hometown for a thorough examination.
Tencent user 3723584 expressed worries about their child starting school in September, noting that out of over three hundred children, more than two hundred were facing similar issues, some more severe. They feared the implications of studying in such an environment for nine years.
Parents speculated to Ji Muzi News that their children’s illnesses might be linked to emissions from a factory located just a wall away from the school.
“Xiao Hua” believed that there were two causes for the children’s illnesses. Firstly, the school was newly built, and the presence of renovation odors inside could be a factor. Secondly, a factory near the school, almost adjacent to it, was engaged in plastic film production and categorized as a “yellow card polluter.” At times, parents could smell pungent odors when picking their children up from school. She personally leans towards the likelihood of industrial pollution as the primary cause.
On July 14th, authorities from the Education Bureau in Qiantang District responded to Ji Muzi News, stating that a dedicated team had been formed to investigate the matter and conduct comprehensive testing of the emissions from the implicated enterprise.
Upon the revelation of these issues, numerous netizens expressed anger. There were complaints about severe pollution from a tire factory in Xiasha, especially clandestine emissions at night. Local residents voiced their frustrations, with comments like, “The persistent pollution from Zhongce Rubber near Jinsha Lake Elementary School is intolerable! The environmental department acknowledges the stench, but claims the emissions are within acceptable limits!”
Public records indicate that Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd was established on June 12, 1992, with its registered address at No. 1, 1st Street, Qiantang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The company specializes in the research, production, and sales of various tire products such as full steel tires, semi-steel tires, bias tires, and car tires.