On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its own findings saying Jana Elementary was safe.
Author: Justina Coronel (KSDK)
FLORISSANT, Mo. — It’s news one would be eager to hear: “There’s no harm to students at your school when it comes to radioactive contamination.”
However, when this contradicts another recent report, it creates confusion and even more concerns.
This is the case for Jana Elementary in Florissant, Missouri.
On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its own findings saying Jana Elementary was safe.
This is after an independent group called the Boston Chemical Data Corporation released a report in October, saying it found high levels of radioactive contamination within and around the school.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers results
After two weeks of testing, the agency shared preliminary results showing no presence of radioactive material above the expected range of background levels(the level of radioactivity Mother Nature already provides).
The results showed nearly 1,000 samples, readings, and swipes were done and isotopic uranium, thorium, radium, and lead (Pb)-210 were tested.
In front of the Hazelwood School Board were the members of the environmental program, called Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, or better known as FUSRAP.
[…]
Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, located north of downtown St. Louis, processed a majority of the uranium for the building of the first atomic bomb.
The waste from Mallinckrodt was transported and stored at a site north of St. Louis Lambert International Airport from 1947 until the late 1960s.
It was then purchased by Continental Mining and Milling Company and moved to a site half a mile away.
[…]
Environmental lawyers Celeste Brustowicz with Cooper Law Firm and Kevin Thompson with Thompson Barney Law Firm paid the Boston Chemical Data Corporation to test the area, including Jana Elementary.
Their findings were released in October and it reported high levels of radioactive contamination in and around Jana.
It showed high numbers of different contaminated elements, including (Pb)- 210, which is lead.
Concerns
These two reports show a striking contrast.
That’s why on Wednesday morning, the new information from the federal agency faced some push back.
Board President Betsy Rachel said, “I’m a little concerned and why there are no numbers being presented here.”
[…]
But the school is also conducting its own independent report, awaiting for results in order to compare.
As for the Jana PTA along with its president, they continue to fight for more answers.
“We at Jana and this north St. Louis County community will not continue to stand by, we are the adults in the room and we are going to act like it one way or another,” Ashley Bernaugh said.
There were no decisions made by the board on Wednesday and the school remains closed.
Read more at ‘You didn’t bring us one number’: Hazelwood school board members demand sampling data from Jana preliminary results
