Sampling overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers around the Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo., has not turned up evidence of radiation above background levels, the Corps’ St. Louis District Office said Wednesday.
“From a radiological standpoint, the school is safe,” Col. Kevin Golinghorst, St. Louis District commander, said in a press release.
The corps announced preliminary results of structure surveys and soil samples taken from 53 different locations on school grounds following reports of elevated radiation from a nearby Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) cleanup.
“We took nearly 1,000 samples and measurements throughout the school and the grounds to help us develop a complete picture of the type of radioactive material present and the risk of exposure,” Golinghorst said in the release. “None of our tests identified the presence of any contamination from activities associated with the Atomic Energy Commission or Manhattan Engineer District which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been investigating near the school under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).”
Laboratory analysis of these samples taken for the Corps by Leidos were tested for contaminants of concern such as isotopic uranium, thorium, and radium as well as lead, according to data distributed with the press release.
The finding that radiation at Jana is within natural background levels appeared to be a tough sell for local school district officials and community members who attended a Wednesday meeting on the findings with the Army Corps, the St. Louis-Post Dispatch reported. The newspaper quoted community members expressing disappointment there was not more hard data released as part of the early findings.
This recent sampling by the government started Oct. 24, days after the Hazelwood Board of Education voted to stop using the Jana school building and have most students at least temporarily switch over to virtual classes.
In response to an email inquiry from Exchange Monitor, a spokesperson for the board of education declined comment beyond an earlier Oct. 19 statement. In that statement the school system said it was suspending use of Jana Elementary, with most students moving to online instruction until after the Thanksgiving break when they will be assigned to different schools.
The school is not far from the Coldwater Creek Superfund site near the St. Louis airport and the school was closed by the board after a Boston Chemical Data Corp. report said radiological contamination around Jana exceeded Environmental Protection Agency cleanup standards.
Although the Army Corps said the Boston Chemical Data research did not meet its standards, it promptly launched the latest round of sampling on the heels of public demands for action by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.).
“We owe it to the public and the parents and children of Jana Elementary School to make informed decisions focused on the safety of the community, and we will continue to take effective actions using accurate data,” Golinghorst said.
Marco Kaltofen, chief author of the Boston Chemical report, who attended the Wednesday meeting was quoted by the St. Louis newspaper, saying his research differed from the Corps’ in that his team used “microscopic methods” to look for contamination.
An organization called Just Moms St. Louis said in a Wednesday post on its Facebook page it would like to see Boston Chemical and the Corps “both work together and split samples and this be independent of litigation and lawyers.”