A shocking new report found high levels of radioactive waste in samples of soil, dust, and plants, taken in and around Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District in Florissant.
Boston Chemical Data Corp. said that radioactive isotopes, such as lead-210, polonium, and radium, found in the samples were “far in excess of the natural background.”
The samples were taken from the school’s library, kitchen, HVAC system, classrooms, fields, and playgrounds, the St.Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
“I was heartbroken,” Ashley Bernaugh, president of the Jana parent-teacher association who has a son at the school, told the Associated Press. “It sounds so cliché, but it takes your breath from you.”
The school is near Coldwater Creek, which was a dumping site for radioactive waste from nuclear weapons produced during World War II.
Authorities said they will discuss the report during the next school board meeting and determine the next steps.
“The Hazelwood School District is aware of the report regarding radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary. Safety is always our top priority, and we are actively discussing the implications of the findings. The Board of Education will be consulting with attorneys and experts in this area of testing to determine the next steps,” the school district said in a statement to KSDK.
