Government contractor Leidos started sampling both inside and outside Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Mo., on Monday for signs of radiological contamination, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said this week.
“We are in the process of collecting samples throughout the entire property to ensure the health and safety of the students and staff at Jana Elementary School,” said Phil Moser, the Corps’ St. Louis District program manager for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
The sampling work “included conducting floor scans, collecting swipe samples inside the building, and surveying playground equipment outside the school,” Moser said in the press release.
Leidos spokesperson declined comment Thursday, saying the company would defer any comment to the Corps.
Leidos was under contract for FUSRAP before the ongoing sampling, which was being planned prior to recent congressional calls for action, a Corps spokesperson said by email Friday.
The survey work should take a few days and preliminary results will be available within two weeks, according to the Corps. The Department of Energy will do a peer review of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work.
In a Friday update, the Corps said structure investigations are complete. Soil investigations began Wednesday the contractor is checking for radiation as deep as 28 feet underground.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) last week called for prompt federal action after a Boston Chemical Data report by environmental scientist Marco Kaltofen claimed that radioactive contamination near the Coldwater Creek Superfund Site in St. Louis County was more serious than previously thought.
The Hazelwood, Mo., Board of Education last week stopped using the building and sent students home for remote learning at least temporarily for most students.
“We continue to conduct testing along Coldwater Creek, to address community safety concerns about the findings, using proven collection and laboratory methods to ensure any contaminated materials found to exceed the cleanup standard is addressed,” the Corps spokesperson said via email.
The Corps is also currently considering the best format and location for a public briefing on the safety of the school, the spokesperson said.
