LACEY – Air testing is being conducted in Lacey Township’s Mill Pond School to determine whether the gym floor is contaminated with mercury, according to a letter from Superintendent Vanessa Clark.
Clark stated that New Jersey public schools “were notified that certain synthetic floors installed between 1960 and 1980 may contain mercury.”
As the gym floor in Mill Pond was installed in 1980, Clark notified parents that the district has been conducting indoor air quality testing to ensure that mercury from the floors, should there be any, isn’t being emitted into the air.
Although the letter did not specify who the district’s indoor air quality consultant is, it noted that they are “intimately familiar and working closely with school districts across the state on this issue to perform air sampling within and in the vicinity of the gymnasium.”
The consultant has performed two air samplings this week, which showed small levels of mercury vapors in the air.
“The consultant concluded that the levels do not pose a threat to the health and safety of the students and staff,” stated Clark.
Samples will be taken from the floor’s surface next, to determine how much mercury contaminates the floor itself.
Clark stated that the Mill Pond gym will be closed until further notice, in the interest of safety. Students will have gym class outside, weather permitting, or in another area of the school.
“As soon as information is available, it will be communicated in a timely manner,” said Clark.
Anyone with questions can contact Superintendent Clark at 609-971-2000.
