A Brooklyn elementary school near the Gowanus Canal is proceeding with back to school plans despite the recent discovery of high levels of indoor air contamination, alarming parents.
State investigators found high levels of petroleum contamination – including benzene, a known human carcinogen – in the indoor air of the basement of the PS 372 annex building in March. They recommended the site be cleaned up. But in recent contentious community meetings, officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health have made clear that no permanent protective measures will be in place by the start of school – and that there are no plans to hold classes elsewhere.
Health officials told parents last month in a town hall-style Zoom meeting that while the chemicals found in the annex building are “slightly above” normal levels, there’s no risk to health or need for people to relocate. But some concerned parents at P.S. 372 and another nearby school aren’t satisfied, saying the state should take a more aggressive approach – and be more transparent about its findings.
“Our stance is that we want no toxins in the air,” said P.S. 372 parent Kyle Finegan during one of several community Zoom calls with state officials over the summer. “I think it’s important to think about not only the students, but also the administration and the teachers that are at the school because of the impact on their personal well-being.”
State environmental authorities also have no timeline for when they’ll have settled on a plan to remove the chemicals from the air. They became aware of the contamination at P.S. 372 during a state-run survey of more than 630 properties on both sides of the canal. That survey followed the detection of toxic vapors at the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in 2021. Environmental authorities and the shuffleboard club’s owners say a remediation system has made the air there safe to breathe, but now the fumes of Gowanus’ industrial past keep getting detected at other sites in the neighborhood.
On the opposite side of the canal from P.S. 372, the Department of Environmental Conservation detected tetrachloroethene, or PCE, a liquid solvent commonly used for dry cleaning, in the first-floor reception area of another elementary school, P.S. 32.
Julia Finegan is among the school parents concerned about air quality at PS 372.
Jordan Gass-Poore
The contamination came in at 7.54 micrograms per cubic meter – right below state health guidelines. If the school’s contamination had reached 10 micrograms per cubic meter, state authorities may have ordered a cleanup.
But some PS 32 parents aren’t satisfied and are pushing the state to conduct further testing and clean up the contamination at the school.
“We don’t want one school to have to sort of bear the brunt of being the ‘toxic school,’” Jack Riccobono, whose son attends P.S. 32, said.
He’s among the parents pushing government agencies to be more communicative and transparent.
“These agencies do not have much credibility in our community right now,” he said.
While the cause of the contamination at P.S. 32 – and how long it’s been going on – is unknown, PCE and other chemicals can evaporate from contaminated soil and groundwater into the indoor air of buildings.
Scarlett Messier-McLaughlin with the New York State Department of Health said PCE is a “very common” contaminant and is found in a variety of everyday products.
Parents at P.S. 372 said they only learned of the contamination in June, after they began asking questions about a line in an end-of-the-school-year email from the principal that mentioned a meeting with environmental officials. State reports on the contamination at the school are hard to decipher and feature measurements on various components of petroleum.
In recent months, the state health department and city Department of Education installed five window air conditioning units and two new exhaust fans in the annex’s upper-floor gym, among other upgrades. Additionally, the school installed carbon dioxide detectors to the existing HVAC unit, which services classrooms in the annex’s basement.
Efforts are underway to remove toxic material from the Gowanus Canal, along with testing of vapors in properties near the waterway.
Nathan Kensinger / Gothamist
In July, the United Federation of Teachers conducted inspections of the building with an assortment of officials and determined the ventilation at P.S. 372 was adequate.
“The UFT has been monitoring the work by the DOE and the state DEC to make sure students and staff are safe, and that everyone in the school community is informed about the work being done and why,” Alison Gendar, a spokesperson for the teacher’s union, wrote in an email.
Officials previously said the contamination at P.S. 372 may have been caused by leaky petroleum tank buried underneath the annex building. But in a new statement, the agency said experts now believe the vapors are coming from a spill at a neighboring property that is undergoing a cleanup.
“We will go as fast as we can. We understand the concern,” said Heide-Marie Dudek, a remediation specialist at the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Some parents of former PS 372 students are also worried about potential health consequences.
Longtime Gowanus resident Joan Salome-Rodriguez said her son and daughter, now 40 and 25, respectively, attended the school for years. She wanted state agencies to figure out how long the contamination has been present.
“My first reaction was, ‘Oh, s—,'” said Salome-Rodriguez. “I can’t say I’m thrilled with how the school is handling it and my trust in DEC is deeply limited.”
Information on the state’s air quality testing around Gowanus can be found here. The agency is holding an information session on Sept. 19 at P.S. 372 starting at 7 p.m.
Councilmember Shahana Hanif, who represents the neighborhood, said she was committed to making sure parents and school officials at both schools get timely responses from government agencies about the contamination.
“My office continues to be alarmed by the lack of transparency from our city, state and federal partners and the lack of really radical communication, as it should be happening given the constant changes and construction … within the Gowanus neighborhood,” Hanif said during a community meeting last month.