PHOENIX — After a semester of being forced to attend class on other campuses in the Kyrene Elementary School District, students and staff from Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary are set to return in January.
A new air quality report released Thursday showed levels are ‘acceptable’ for students and staff to return after elevated particulate levels were found in the school in August, stemming from roof construction.
“When we got that initial air quality report and news that we were going to move schools, we were all pretty concerned because the levels on that report were extremely high,” said Courtney Maxedon, a parent from Kyrene de la Sierra.
Concerns came after the school year began in August, when roof work was happening. An air quality test was done shortly after that. The results showed that the measurements were 28 times higher than what was deemed acceptable by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
After the report came out, the district made the move to relocate staff and students.
"This does not mean the particulates are harmful or even that the levels are harmful,” the district said in part in a statement in early August. The statement also read that they were assured “chemicals and materials used in our roof installation are safe…"
In the classroom that was tested at the elementary school, the total volatile organic compounds, or TVOCs, were 14,000.
"It's definitely high. So normally in like, schools, offices and in your homes, you want to see it between, like 500 to 1,500. And it even says that in the report,” Amber Kraft, who has worked in air quality for the past 15 years, told ABC15 in August.
According to the report, the USGBC set 500 ng/L as the recommended TVOC limit and said the following:
In general:
• < 500 ng/L IAQ is acceptable for most individuals; however, chemically sensitive persons may require lower levels.
• 500 - 1,500 ng/L some effects on the occupants is possible.
• > 1,500 ng/L IAQ should be improved.
Since August, students and staff have been at other campuses while work continued on the roof.
In early December, the district did another test while deep cleaning the school to get ready for the return of students and staff.
The December report done by the same company said the levels are “significantly” reduced from August and that no roofing product-related chemicals were found in the lab report. The report continued to say that air quality in the school is “acceptable for students and staff occupancy.”
However, Maxedon told ABC15 she was still concerned.
In the report, the company tested three different areas, two hallways and one classroom. Two of the three areas reported above-normal levels.
One hallway saw a “normal” level with its TVOC reading below 200 nanograms per liter. However, another hallway went into the “elevated” category with TVOC at 1,800 ng/L. The one classroom tested saw a “moderate” TVOC reading at 1,300 ng/L.
"I'm hoping that the district will make the right decision and postpone reoccupying Sierra until levels are within safe limits,” Maxedon said after reading the report.
The results also mentioned that the "data indicated that cleaning product chemicals are the major contributors to TVOCs," as testing was done during a deep cleaning process, the district said.
That still concerns Maxedon as the “coatings” building source was listed as the two above-normal readings for the two areas.
The district said it will do another test over winter break and that it is relying on the expert report provided to them. The report also said the “average ambient indoor air range did not exceed the USGBC recommended levels.”
The full air quality report can be found here, and the district has been updating families on this page here.
