December 2009- 12/28/2009, Schools could learn lessons on food safety,
USAToday, "There were more than 470 outbreaks of food-borne
illnesses in schools
from 1998 through 2007, sickening at least 23,000 children, according
to a USA TODAY analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
- 12/28/2009,
Contaminated day-care site being demolished, Philly.com,
"As many as 100 babies and children were exposed to toxic mercury
vapors
in the former Accutherm thermometer factory, a one-story concrete
building in Franklinville, after it opened as a day care in January
2004."
- 12/22/2009, Mesothelioma Concerns Raised By Vocational School
Students, Teachers, Asbestos.net, "Bethlehem, PA—After
working in a home that was contaminated with the
toxic mineral material asbestos, several teachers and up to 100
students at a vocational school are now concerned about their risk for mesothelioma,
the asbestos
cancer."
- 12/21/2009, New classroom addition cleared out, Sun Sentinel,
"The possible culprit: A lightweight concrete in the building's roof
that is still going through the "curing" process, Drew said.
Principal Susan Colton moved teachers and students from the addition
into the main building about two weeks ago because she continued to
receive complaints about health problems, Drew said."
- 12/21/2009,
Inspectors
Search Ky. School Grounds For Radiation, WLKY.com, "The
Paducah Sun reported that the search at Heath Elementary School
over the weekend came after the U.S. Department of Energy received an
affidavit saying a contractor working at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion
Plant had dumped several truck loads of dirt from the plant on the
elementary school's grounds in 1980."
- 12/20/2009, Dreams dashed on contaminated land, South Coast
Today.com, "Further testing of the 6-acre athletic complex, prompted
by school
officials who were considering building the new Keith Middle School
there, revealed significant concentrations of PCBs, lead and other
hazardous chemicals."
- 12/18/2009, Cost of Dorton revamp up again, Appalachian
News-Espress, "The changes, officials said, became necessary
due to water damage over
time and mold that has grown inside some of the walls of the school as
a result of the damage."
- 12/16/2009, City council hears concerns about waste spreading, takes
no immediate action, The TimesNews.com, "Questions about the
safety of applying waste solids to farmland near
schools reached the Burlington City Council this week, along with a
request for the city to voluntarily stop shipping sludge to those
fields."
- 12/16/2009, 26,500 school cafeterias lack required inspections, USAToday,
"The next day, students began to feel sick, and by that
Wednesday, 52
students and eight faculty members had fallen ill with the same
symptoms the sick worker had suffered."
- 12/16/2009, Naperville Central teachers link health woes to
construction project, Chicago Tribune, "Since construction of
an addition began at Naperville
Central High School this year, teachers have complained that odors and
exhaust fumes from the work site are triggering headaches, sinus
infections and respiratory problems."
- 12/15/2009, Ga. students back at school after mercury spill, Associated
Press, "Oglethorpe County schools Superintendent Raymond Akridge
says workers
decontaminated a gym and one classroom over the weekend, and had two
other classrooms left to finish before U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency authorities would allow the school to reopen them."
- 12/15/2009,
EPA detects brain damaging toxin near school, USA
Today, "WASHINGTON — Government regulators have found high levels
of manganese,
a dangerous metal that can affect the brain, in the air outside a
school in eastern Ohio."
- 12/15/2009, Gas leak forces school evacuation, Boston.com,
"Fumes nauseate dozens of students."
- 12/15/2009, Parents rally to put brakes on moldy trailer classrooms
in Parkchester, NYDaily News.com, " ...for these public
school pupils involves dangerous mold in their trailer classrooms,
parents charge."
- 12/15/2009,Granville school board stops pursuit of oil, gas drilling,
Newark Advocate, "The school site lies along a line of potential oil
and gas drilling
sites in northwest Granville Township that runs through the school
property. The firm proposed to conduct seismic tests along that line to
decide exactly where to drill."
- 12/13/2009, New Bedford sues Monsanto, Cornel-Dubilier over buried
toxic materials, South Coast Today.com, "NEW BEDFORD —
Monsanto Co. and Cornell-Dubilier Electronics, Inc.,
which manufacture pesticides and electrical capacitors, respectively,
have been linked to PCB contamination at three privately-owned
properties in the Parker Street neighborhood near Keith Middle School,
according to court documents the City of New Bedford filed Thursday in
Bristol County Superior Court."
- 12/11/2009, Asarco to pay $1.8B for cleanup, Seattle Times, "Roughly
$188 million went to the state of Washington, which will mostly
cover soil sampling and cleanup around schools, day cares, parks and
homes in Pierce and South King counties. That area was contaminated by
a century of lead and arsenic from a smelter outside Tacoma."
- 12/10/2009,
Foul
odor from boy's bathroom sickens 11 at Nogales High School, San
Gabriel Valley News.com, "It marked the second time in less
than a week a
hazardous materials incident occurred on the campus of 2,200 students,
officials said."
- 12/10/2009, Wiggins
schools on budget watch, Fort Morgan Times, "Fixing
the building with its hazardous mold problems is
practically impossible with the current budget restraints, Neel said.
Even a plan to save half of it would cost almost as much as tearing the
whole thing down."
- 12/09/2009, Chemical fumes may be to blame for school evacuation,
Cleveland Advocate, "The officials are now looking into
the possibility that the five
employees might have been inadvertently exposed to chemical fumes that
resulted from some of the employees cleaning the ovens."
- 12/09/2009,
Crews
respond to explosion at Houston area-plant, Associated Press,
SEABROOK, Texas — A fiery explosion Wednesday at an industrial plant in
the Houston area shook nearby homes and generated black smoke seen for
miles. No injuries were immediately reported. . .The Clear Creek
Independent School District instructed everyone on the
campuses of its 28 schools in the area to stay indoors, with the air
conditioning and heating units turned off."
- 12/08/2009, Two Students Taken to Hospital After Bus Has Mechanical
Problems, News Channel 7, "Officials say the three
students waited on
bus for about 30 minutes while repairs were being made, and when they
got to the school, two fell to sleep, and one threw up."
- 12/08/2009,
Autism
school supporters protest Navistar plan in Lisle, Daily Herald,
"The director of a recently opened autism school in Lisle said Monday
the organization was "betrayed and deceived" by the village when they
spent nearly $10 million to move into town, only to be told less than a
month after opening that a new diesel engine testing site may open
nearby."
- 12/07/2009, Semi carrying medical waste rolls near Las Vegas, Merced
Sun Star, AP "He says area schools were briefly locked down
until it was determined the material being hauled wasn't toxic."
- 12/07/2009,
Green Brook school's summer of woe concludes, mycentraljersey.com,
"Just before the first day of school, mold was discovered in several
classrooms of the school's older rear wing. Apparently, the air
conditioning dampers had shut down in midsummer, leaving a high
humidity condition conducive to the growth of mold in the classrooms."
- 12/06/2009,
State will test air downwind from Superior Essex plant,
thetennessean.com, "No exact cause of the odors has been found,
though state inspectors are
now requiring that the company further modify its equipment inside the
factory."
- 12/04/2009, Critics plan protest of Navistar move to Lisle, Chicago
Tribune, "School officials and parents have been critical of the
truck and engine
manufacturer's plans to house a diesel engine testing site at the
location, saying its fumes will be harmful to the more than 60 students
at Giant Steps."
- 12/03/2009, Two Williamson elementary schools to have air tested for
chemicals, Tennessean.com, "State environmental crews will
test the air at two
Williamson County schools to determine whether students are being
exposed to airborne chemicals coming from a Franklin wire-making plant."
- 12/02/2009,
Springfield siblings arrested for setting off chemical
'bomb' outside Milton Bradley Elementary School, The Republican,
"Leger said the bottle bombs are dangerous because the chemical mixture
could cause chemical burns if a passerby was splashed on the skin."
- 12/01/2009,
Pollution notification bill OK'd by Assembly panel, NewJersey.com,
"The bill's sponsors said the legislation was drafted as a response
to
the way officials handled the discovery of contaminated soil at West
Brook Middle School in Paramus in early 2007."
November 2009- 11/29/2009, Union Workers Alleged Use of Contaminated Materials
Before DOE Plant Buried in Portsmouth, Ohio, Huntington News,
"Other Cabell County Schools in the First (Worst) Percentile included
Alternative Education High/Middle School (old HEHS), Altizer
Elementary, Beverly Hills Middle School, Enslow Middle School, Highlawn
Elementary School, Hite Saunders Elementary, Meadows Elementary, and
Spring Hill Elementary."
- 11/29/2009, Plastics plant sued over shuttered school west of
Cincinnati, The Columbus Dispatch ," A plastics plant
continues to release chemicals into the air that exceed
government safety standards, a school district said in a lawsuit filed
in state court."
- 11/29/2009, How Schools Huge Mercury Cleanup unfolded, The
Arizona Republic, "Over the next seven hours on Feb. 12, the boys
poured out more mercury
to show their friends, including some in the boys locker room and a
reading classroom. . .Police discovered that since 2007 teachers had
warned district
administrators multiple times, verbally and through e-mails, about
hazardous materials in the school."
- 11/27/2009, Three Rivers sues over pollution, nky.com,
"ADDYSTON - Four years ago, the 370-student elementary school here was
evacuated because of air pollution. It never reopened."
- 11/27/2009,
Chemical spill shuts Fundy High, Telegraph Journal,
"A shelf in the chemistry laboratory closet broke over night,
MacDougall
said. A bottle containing an unidentified chemical fell on the floor
and broke, allowing fumes to permeate the building."
- 11/25/2009,
Agricultural Pesticide Use Causes Concerns at California
Schools, WireWeb, "Pesticide use in agricultural areas near
schools could be exposing
students and staff to dangerous chemicals."
- 11/25/2009, Why there are BIG cancer concerns in 1 Arizona community,
ABC15,
"At Mingus High School in Cottonwood, students and staff drink from
their own well. 'It's a safety issue,' said Kirk Waddle, the district
finance director. 'I wouldn't want my students at risk.'"
- 11/24/2009,
Taylor Co. school needs millions to fix mold, mildew
problems, WHAS11, Kentucky, "Kim Lawson claims Taylor County
Elementary School knew about health
hazards to students for years. And says their former superintendent did
nothing about it."
- 11/21/2009, Vo-tech instructors allege they were never told of asbestos in home students were remodeling, lihighvalleylive.com, "Vo-tech masonry instructor Heath Bullard claimed he was
never told about the presence of asbestos in the home he,
other teachers and a score of students were remodeling."
- 11/21/2009, Solution In Sight For Odor In Hanover Township, KDKA Pittsburgh, "A neighborhood in Hanover Township has been gagging on the foul smell
of hydrogen sulfide - a gas that is known to cause serious health
problems."
- 11/20/2009, Sewer line switch raises stink, causes school closing, Muskegon News, "School officials determined sewer odors were too foul inside the
vocational career center for high school students and shut down around
9:30 a.m. Friday."
- 11/20/2009, TSC investigating science lab fire at Wainwright, Indiana Journal and Courier, "One teen burned during a science experiment Wednesday remained hospitalized in Indianapolis in critical condition Thursday."
- 11/20/2009, J. T. Lambert closed for week after water main break, Pocono Record, "...our-inch plastic pipe in the ceiling near a closet burst where it
intersected with a valve. The pipe, which can transmit 80 gallons per
minute, breached because of a sudden change in pressure..."
- 11/19/2009, Parents ask for mercury answers, Times Georgian, "the mother of two daughters at the school, was disappointed that the school did not notify parents about the mercury."
- 11/19/2009, Suit: Workers students exposed to potential toxins at Paramus school, North Jersey.com, "alleges that the district put its employees, students and visitors at risk of
developing potentially life-threatening illnesses by waiting at least
four months to inform them that pesticide-laden soil had been
discovered on school grounds."
- 11/19/2009, Proposed school near gas well concerns Forth Worth neighbors, WFAA-TV, "...a proposed elementary school would be right across the street from an already-approved drilling site..."
- 11/19/2009, Califon mulls environmental clean-up at school, Gilmartin property, Hunterdon Review,
"Quest Environmental and Engineering Services of Clinton has advised
the Borough Council about remediation plans to clean up environmental
pollution at Califon School and also at the Gilmartin property located
at 75 Main St.."
- 11/18/2009, Lewis Yard School dismissed again, The Tribune,"Classes
were dismissed on Monday when a number of persons at the school became
ill, reportedly as a result of fumes from the nearby industrial area."
- 11/18/2009, GB School Remains Closed, The Bahama Journal, "Teachers and students reportedly fell ill on Monday after inhaling the odor, according to officials."
- 11/18/2009, Study: Portable Classrooms Noisy, Pose Health Risks to Children, FoxNews, "The dust showed traces of pesticides, arsenic and
mold, while the air contained formaldehyde fumes, heavy metals and
higher than normal concentrations of pollen and carbon dioxide."
- 11/17/2009, After two years, Roselle finally demolishes playground, NewJersey.com, "Two years ago, an insurance company that covers Roselle schools
recommended that the playground at Harrison Elementary be torn down,
because it represented a danger to students."
- 11/17/2009, Decisive victory for High School project at polls; Town Meeting next, Wayland Town Crier, "At the forum, Anderson said some of the troubling issues at the current
50-year-old buildings are air quality, asbestos, mold, leaky roofs and
poor lighting."
- 11/17/2009, Fire closes Augusta Twp. high school, Detroit News, "A hazardous materials team responded to the reports of a fire because
it was in the science room, where chemicals were present, school
district officials said."
- 11/17/2009, Mercury discovered at Temple gymnasium,Times-Georgian,
"Temple High School’s gymnasium has been closed to students and the
public since Oct. 17, after mercury was discovered in the original
rubber flooring under the wooden gym floor."
- 11/14/2009, Parents of asthmatic student seek fragrance ban,
The Herald Mail, Maryland, "The parents of a Smithsburg High School
student with asthma are trying to convince Washington County Public
Schools officials to ban the use of fragrances systemwide."
- 11/14/2009, School district fires Head Start director, The Galveston County Daily News,
HITCHCOCK, "[Doreatha] Walker has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit
against the district, claiming the officials want to get rid of her
because she lodged complaints with the state . . . Walker clashed with
district administrators throughout the past year. She reported in
November 2008 that mold in the building, 5700 FM 2004, was making her
sick."
- 11/13/2009, Pine Tree High School briefly evacuated for gas leak, News-Journal, "The cause was a faulty gas regulator at one of the buildings."
- 11/13/2009, Gas smell disrupts Waipahu school day, Honolulu Star Bulletin,
"Three ambulances were sent to the school after 11 a.m. The patients
included two students under the age of 13 and five adults,"
- 11/12/2009 Niagara County can't tolerate more toxic waste, The Buffalo News,
Opinion "It is clearly in the public interest that no more toxic wastes
be brought here. Children’s cancer rates are higher than expected in
the area that includes the nearby schools to CWM"
- 11/12/2009 District: Test shows contamination at two schools, but no threat, Tampa Bay Online, "TAMPA - Recent tests conducted at two Hillsborough County schools have
revealed higher-than-acceptable levels of arsenic, mercury, lead and
other toxic contaminants in the soil, the district says."
- 11/11/2009 Pesticide drift poses a problem, health-wise and politically, The Californian, "The Californian's weekend article "Schools and Pesticides" points to
many problems related to the dangers of pesticide applications close to
schools and our communities."
- 11/12/2009, Lafarge plant health risk under study, Times Union, "Located on Route 9W across from Ravena's junior and senior high
schools, the plant is the state's second-largest source of airborne
mercury, a potent neurotoxin dangerous to developing fetuses and
pregnant women"
October 2009 - 11/10/2009, Broward School Board Settles with Whistleblower, Sun Sentinel, "The Broward School Board approved a settlement Tuesday with a former
building inspector who said she was fired in retaliation for sounding
alarms about building code violations on school construction projects."
- 11/10/2009, Montessori Rebuilds after Summer Fire, "Toxic
fumes permeated virtually every surface they touched, requiring
extensive refurbishing before the school could be re-opened"
- 11/07/2009, Salinas Valley schools perched near pesticide sprayed farmland, Wilsonville Spokesman,
"When schools use pesticides on campus, they post a warning a day
before. But when acres of farmland next to classrooms are sprayed with
industrial-grade chemicals, often no sign goes up.
- 11/06/2009, Jurupa school district questioned about weed spraying, The Riverside Press Enterprise,
"GLEN AVON - Jurupa school officials are rethinking their practice of
spraying weed killer during school hours after a parent complained that
her daughter had a severe allergic reaction from an herbicide sprayed
on the Patriot High School campus."
- 11/05/2009, Dominican Republic blames U.S. firms for birth defects,
" A civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Delaware charges that toxic levels
of waste dumped at the Arroyo Barril port has made people nearby sick.
. .The case highlights the debate over coal ash, an unregulated
byproduct of coal energy."
- 11/04/2009, Five hospitalized after inhaling toxic fumes at Vernon Township school, New Jersey.com
- 11/03/2009, BPA Found in 19 Name Brands Foods, ABCNews, From baby bottles, to canned green beans, and its effect on children.
- 11/03/2009, South Fort Myers High School land contaminated, documents show, Naplesnews.com, "The arsenic is still there. So is South Fort Myers High School."
- 10/30/2009, Fumes sicken 46 at Westridge Elementary School, Lake Oswego Review,
"Lacquer fumes at Westridge Elementary School in Lake Oswego caused 46
students and adults to be evacuated by ambulance and bus this morning."
- 10/29/2009, "Idling School buses spew black carbon, fine particles," Environmental Health News.
- 10/29/2009, "EPA finds Manganese Threat at two schools," USA Today.
- 10/12/2009, School fined as girl loses fingers in art lesson,
"LONDON (Reuters) - A school in eastern England was ordered to pay
19,000 pounds ($30,140) Monday after a 16-year-old girl lost nearly all
her fingers when she put her hands in a bucket of plaster of Paris
during an art lesson."
- 10/08/2009 Tar fumes sicken students, teachers at Westfield school ,
"Northwest Herald, ALGONQUIN – Two students and at least two teachers
were taken to the hospital and more than 70 others complained of
becoming sick at Westfield Community School Wednesday after tar fumes
from roof work got into the school’s vents."
September 2009 |