School built before land was prepared

The school at the center of an alleged pollution incident - which made headlines after hundreds of students reportedly became ill - had relocated to contaminated land before remedial treatment of its soil had been carried out, according to a government investigation team.

Changzhou Foreign Languages School found itself at the center of a media storm after reports claimed students had fallen ill at the school, which was subsequently said to have been built on toxic land contaminated by three chemical plants.

The team said the Xinbei district government failed to finish a soil treatment project in time and the school followed its original construction schedule. Students were moved to the new school in September.