A kindergarten teacher in Hangzhou has been suspended after she punished children by putting them in a room and exposing them to ultraviolet lights, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

The education authorities in Yuhang District of Hangzhou are looking into the case, the City Express newspaper reported. Angry parents said that for the past three years a teacher in No. 2 Linping Kindergarten had been using UV lights, which are equipped as sterilizing devices, to punish children who did not follow her instructions.

"The teacher trapped the children in the room while she stood outside, asking the children to turn on the ultraviolet lights themselves," said a mother who was not named. "It was not until my child told me about the punishment recently that I started to know the teacher has been doing this for three years to a lot of victims."

"Teacher said our hair will fall down piece by piece once exposed to the light. We are very scared," her son told the newspaper.

Children who refused to take afternoon naps, drink enough water or rinse their mouth after meals were punished, the boy told the newspaper.

The UV rays may damage eyes and skin if a person is directly exposed. It can cause conjunctivitis, cataracts or even lead to cancer, doctors said.

Some parents told the newspaper that their children found their eyes dry and scratchy and they took them to hospitals. The 30-year-old teacher apologized to the parents on Tuesday.