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The Brunswick News November 01, 2002 Section(s) Frontpage School sites safe - Study finds schools' soils low in toxins By KAREN SLOAN Glynn County school officials found some good news and some bad news in a study they received Thursday on whether soils in some schoolyards are polluted with toxins. The good news: levels of the dangerous pesticide toxaphene in the soil of tested schoolyards were below the level for any concern. The bad news: one site had a high level of chlordane, also a pesticide, in one portion of it. Joe Iannicelli, board of education chair, said the low levels of toxaphene are a vindication of the board's position that schoolyards do not present health risks to students. "I'm very pleased that we have put closure to this," said Iannicelli. "It appears that the school grounds are not dangerous. I think this study puts the matter to rest." The $10,000 study was funded jointly by the Glynn County Board of Education and the Glynn County Environmental Coalition, with support of the Glynn County Health Department. Keith Maruya, a chemist with the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, conducted the study and prepared the report. The environmental coalition had pressed for the study after a similar, but less targeted, study in 1996 raised questions about levels of toxins in some schoolyards. The current study focused on four locations: Goodyear Elementary School, Burroughs-Molette Elementary School, Risley Middle School and the Edo Miller/Lanier Field recreational complex. All the sites are geographically peripheral to the Hercules Inc. chemical plant in Brunswick, which at one time manufactured toxaphene. "From my perspective, as a chemist, the toxaphene really isn't a concern," said Maruya. "The levels we found were not nearly as scary as some people had thought they would be." Goodyear was the only location that indicated a significant level of chlordane, a powerful and widely available insecticide until it was banned in the 1980s. Similarly, the pesticide toxaphene was popularly used until its use was limited in the 1980s and banned in 1990. "We don't know why there is chlordanes there [in one location at Goodyear]," said Maruya. "It may be that there was an anthill and somebody poured chlordane on it." The study found about 700 parts per billion of chlordane in one area at Goodyear. Maruya said a level above 100 parts is higher than normal. "The issue with a lot of environmental toxins is that we don't really know what problems they can cause," said Maruya. The report recommends that the tested school grounds be covered with 3 inches of clean soil and vegetation. School Superintendent Robert Winter said the issue of covering the school grounds with clean soil would be discussed when the board of education meets Nov. 25. "We have 12,000 students, and we are certainly concerned with the safety and well being of all of them," said Winter. The last similar study on schoolyard soil was conducted in 1996 and was not as thorough or specific as the recent study. The previous study tested the top 6 inches of soil, while the most recent looked at the top 3 inches. "The reason we only tested the top three inches was because we wanted to get a more accurate indication of what the kids would actually be exposed to," said Daniel Parshley, project manager for the Glynn County Environmental Coalition, who gave the report to Winter and Iannicelli. He said more time is needed to assess the risks of the various chemicals found during the study. The 1996 study relied on random soil samples, while the current study sectioned off school grounds into 100 foot squares. Five soil samples were taken from each square, allowing scientists to determined the different levels of toxicity in each area. |
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