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It's one of parents' worst nightmares. Dozens in schools in China - amounting to 26,444 school uniforms, in total - have been recalled, because the uniforms contained aromatic amine dyes. The dyes have been found to be a carcinogen.

According to China Daily, Shanghai Ouxia Clothing is the culprit targeted by the government. The manufacturer purchased the problematic materials from the Zheijang province and sewed them onto the sleeves as a decoration. The small manufacturer has been churning out school uniforms for the past five years, producing about 15,000 of them annually.

The problem was discovered when the city's quality inspectors performed an inspection on 22 batches of uniforms, finding that the toxic dyes were used in six of them.

Unfortunately, according to Shanghai Daily, school officials are supposed to check the quality of the school uniforms. However, many admit that they do not check the quality test reports, because it is not a necessary step. The government has vowed to punish responsible school officials and teachers.

Schools buy uniforms directly from the factories, at a cost of 150 to 250 yuan ($24 to $40). Reportedly, many clothing manufacturers do not like to produce school uniforms, because of the low profit margin and high labor costs. That means that small-scale manufacturers like Ouxia are left to take the bait. In fact, about 90 percent of school uniforms are produced by factories like Ouxia, and about half of the products are unqualified.

The government of Shanghai announced that it is considering reforming the system so that manufacturers will need to contend with strict entry requirements in order to make uniforms. The city will also create a blacklist containing factories that have provided unqualified materials. It is also considering reforming the purchasing process so that it is performed by a quality watchdog and supervised by parents.

In the meantime, many schools asked students to start the semester in their normal clothes.

This is not the first time that China has had issues with quality control. NPR reports that the use of recycled cooking oil, dubbed "gutter oil", has become a problem in the country.

"The milk powder is toxic, and now even the school uniform is toxic," Shanghai resident Ms. Jin said to New Tang Dynasty Television. "There's a series of issues in the society. It's too sad for China."