Mercury-tainted floors unacceptable in N.J. schools | Editorial

Asbestos in the ceiling. Lead in the drinking water. Mold in the walls. In Washington Township, they’re adding another item that can make it hazardous to attend a Nw Jersey public school: Mercury vapors wafting from gym and all-purpose room floors.

The concern is significant enough that it dominated a school board meeting in the Gloucester County district last week. And, while school officials think no serious injury has been caused by exposure in any of the eight schools where the vapors have been found, mercury is a bad actor whose ill effects can become more apparent over time.

The flooring problem is not unique to Washington Township, or New Jersey, said a consulting engineer to the district at the meeting. That prompted legitimate questions from the public about what school administrators knew, and when they chose to relay it to parents and staff. However, discovery of this leakage is a phenomenon that has received widespread notice only in the past year or so.

Affected schools purchased certain kinds of synthetic rubberized flooring for new or replacement installations in “activity” rooms. The apparent idea was to create safer landings than hardwood floors give not-so-hard youth and teen heads. They were sold between the 1960s and the 1990s and are known collectively as “mercury catalyzed polyurethane flooring,” though it’s unlikely any of the marketers included “mercury” in their trade names. Possibly, it’s the same theory that remade Kentucky FRIED Chicken shops as KFC, and turned SUGAR Smacks cereal into more-wholesome-sounding Honey Smacks.

There’s nothing wholesome about mercury, a toxic heavy metal. Perhaps nowhere is that known better than in Gloucester County. A former Franklin Township thermometer factory that had been turned into a day care center called Kiddie Kollege was shut down in 2006, after state tests revealed alarming levels of mercury in spots where toddlers were playing. Those exposed, children in particular, are susceptible to memory and emotional problems and skin rashes.

There is no reason for panic in Washington Township, since airborne mercury levels recorded in the affected rooms are much lower than those found at Kiddie Kollege. According to Superintendent Joseph N. Bollendorf, they’re below state action guidelines. But, who knows if the the vapor levels will increase over time? Research about the flooring problem dates to 2003, but has been limited until recently. New Jersey news stories over the past two years show discovery of similar conditions in Freehold, Burlington Township, Lacey Township and Parsippany schools.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, Washington Township’s handling of the issue is appropriate and cautious. No activities or classes will be held in the schools’ gyms/all-purpose rooms for the remainder of the school year, and the district will spend up to $3.2 million from its existing capital budget to “remediate” or replace suspect floors.

Some of the best guidance on this comes from the New Jersey Education Association, which has urged members to look for contaminated floors in their districts. And, why not? A gym teacher who oversees six class periods daily is likely to get more exposure than any of her students.

If only the tip of the mercury iceberg is visible, as NJEA thinks is possible, state education and environmental departments should get involved more proactively in testing and remediation advice. Affected districts have been able to handle remediation on their own financially, but if the contamination is more widespread, emergency state funding might be needed. If any of the floor manufacturers are still around, the attorney general should weigh options for statewide litigation.

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