Toxic Air Outside Schools

In what’s been called the most sweeping effort to test toxicity levels in the air around the nation’s schools, the environmental protection agency will monitor the air outside of schools in some 22 states.  “As soon as we can begin to get information and data back to people I think that will actually start to put people’s minds at ease and give them power to advocate for their children if we do find things that are wrong,“ says Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator.
The government’s own data shows some schools fall right in the middle of toxic hot spots… where harmful chemicals from industrial areas threaten the air where students learn and play.  While the report lists Texas and Ohio with the highest numbers of schools with polluted air, there’s growing concern about local schools which may be affected: “We’re very concerned that anything could occur and happen because right now Savannah’s a hub.  It’s the crossroad for railroad, shipping, air transportation, and they’re all carrying many different toxic chemicals.  So with this I guess were in the danger zone,“ says Rob Gordon, Risk Management Director SCCPSS.  Some 50 local schools reported trace amounts of industrial pollution.  While it’s hard to pinpoint the specific sources of pollution, Georgia’s EPD tells News 3 they don’t take the findings lightly.  In fact, for more than a decade now, they’ve been monitoring air pollutants at a couple of schools.  Susan Zimmer-Dauphinee with Georgia’s EPD says currently they have 5 monitors throughout the City of Savannah with two located at Shuman and Mercer Middle Schools.  Periodically samples from the schools are analyzed at the EPD laboratory.  While leaders feel they’re doing an adequate job to avert any immediate threat to children, parents like Kwanza Oliver Smalls are still concerned.  Her daughter attends Savannah High school, just around the corner from a heavy industrialized area.  “The first thing I thought was oh my goodness my daughter is at risk for health problems.  And then one day along the lines having some kind of debilitating illness that can’t be cured first of all an incurable debilitating illness.  One that may have resulted from ingesting pollution while in school,“ says Oliver Stone.  These health concerns are not new for Savannah parents.  14 years ago the city faced its worst chemical disaster.  The Powell Duffryn tank farm in East Savannah exploded, causing minor injuries.  Chemical releases forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 neighbors and shut down Eli Whitney Elementary School.  Savannah Pulmonologist Dr. Gifford Lorenze says it’s difficult to fully assess the health dangers that people face.  “Most of us are tolerant to the things we’re exposed to in our environment, however we’re not all put together equally.  Some of us do have a genetic predisposition to things such as asthma and have bona fide allergies,“ says Dr. Lorenze. Bottom line—some may be more at risk of developing respiratory illnesses than others.  Officials with Savannah-Chatham County School System say they take air quality seriously and they do quite a bit of monitoring to make sure that students and staff are safe.  “We go out and have these little booklets which are emergency preparedness planning and resource plans.  each one of the classrooms has this plan and the teachers utilize this when there is an emergency, for instance some type of hazardous chemical is released,“ says Rob Gordon.  School leaders don’t hesitate to find out what’s in the air.  “So how do you track that?  It’s called a commodity flow and you can ask any company what kind of chemicals, the types of chemicals that they move through the area, what the use for these chemicals are.  We’re always seeking to get better cause it’s not just about teaching kids.  It’s about protecting them for the 7 or 8 hours that we have them,“ says Campus Police Sgt. Chip Grefski.     
USA Today looked at 188 hazardous air pollutants in their report.  Georgia’s EPD measures 71 of those.  Some of the chemicals include Benzene, Arsenic, and Formaldehyde.  The EPD monitors for these in Savannah at the East President Street site.  The EPD also told me the most recent numbers don’t show Savannah at a higher risk for cancer than any other part of Georgia.
CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR SCHOOL’S REPORT CARD.