Worry is growing at a Brooklyn elementary school after the discovery of chemical fumes inside the building. According to News 12, concerns are mounting at a Gowanus school following reports that fumes were detected there, prompting testing and an investigation into what is contaminating a place where young children spend their days.
The fumes were noticed in connection with recent work at the building. According to the account, the reports of chemical fumes came after the installation of a filter system, a detail that has drawn attention to how the contamination came to be identified and what the equipment may have revealed about conditions inside the school.
Testing has since pointed to the nature of the problem. According to News 12, testing at the school revealed that the building is contaminated mainly with petroleum-based chemicals, a finding that has heightened concern among those connected to the school about what students and staff may have been exposed to.
The location of the school adds important context to the situation. According to the account, the fumes surfaced in Gowanus, a neighborhood where the Gowanus Canal has been a source of chemical waste for years, a long-standing environmental issue that has shaped the area and that now sits in the background of the contamination found at the school.
State agencies have been drawn into the response. According to News 12, the outlet reached out to the state's Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health, both of which said they are working together to ensure that public health is protected for the students and staff at the school, identified as PS 372.
For now, the full scope of the contamination remains to be determined. According to the account, an investigation is underway, leaving the school community waiting for answers about how serious the problem is, what caused it, and what steps will be taken to make sure the building is safe for the children and employees who use it.