Shenyang Normal University Tap Water Turns Black – Severe Water Pollution Sickens 2,087 with Vomiting and Diarrhea

A Shenyang Normal University graduate student said the tap water sometimes looked “as black as crude oil”. (Video screenshot)

[People News] On the evening of September 7, Shenyang authorities announced that a serious water contamination incident had broken out at Shenyang Normal University starting from August 31. As of 5 p.m. on the 7th, a total of 2,087 people had developed gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Experts concluded that the outbreak was caused by Norovirus contamination in the school’s Third Residential Area self-supplied well reservoir.

According to the Shenyang Center for Disease Control, the university hospital began receiving students with vomiting and diarrhea on August 31. By September 7, 2,087 people had reported gastroenteritis symptoms; 817 had recovered, while 270 had not yet fully recovered. Although the peak had passed, 25 new cases appeared in the past 24 hours.

The investigation determined the outbreak was a sudden public health incident caused by Norovirus-contaminated water from the campus reservoir.

Reports and online posts show that many parents dining with new students at the East Campus cafeteria later suffered stomach illness. Social media was flooded with messages like: “My child just called to say he has diarrhea and fever, and I also had diarrhea three times last night.” Some noted that “older students were already hit earlier, and now even freshmen couldn’t escape.”

Some students’ conditions were severe. One required three days of hospitalization with a persistent fever up to 38.9°C, along with vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and dizziness.

A junior student, Li Xiang (alias), said her symptoms began with mild diarrhea on August 31, worsened by September 2 with severe vomiting and diarrhea, and she eventually needed emergency treatment for dehydration. Her three roommates also fell ill—some controlled it with medicine, but others had “explosive diarrhea and fever.”

Nearby clinics and hospitals were overwhelmed with students seeking care. Doctors reportedly asked first thing: “Are you from Shenyang Normal University?”

A graduate student who studied there since her undergraduate days revealed that every semester, when she returned to her dorm, the tap water contained black debris or turned yellow. The washbasin water often left black residue. “If I rinsed a towel under the tap for two minutes, it turned black. Sometimes it was as black as crude oil.”

Some students posted on Xiaohongshu exposing the “mass poisoning” incident, but they later received private messages warning that the police were already involved and demanding the posts be deleted. Meanwhile, the university gave no official response—only instructing students to watch the September 3 military parade broadcast and stage group photos.