Columbus School flunks air quality tests

BRIDGEPORT -- The results of the latest tests at Columbus School show the air quality is not at safe levels, Schools Superintendent John Ramos said Monday morning. The district will go with a back-up plan and send all Columbus students to other schools a day after other schools in the district begin classes.

Schools are closed again Tuesday, pushing back Columbus' opening to Thursday. If the opening of school is delayed another day because of power outages due to Tropical Storm Irene, classes won't begin for Columbus students until Friday.

Columbus students will meet at the George Street school parking lot for transportation to five other schools: Pre-kindergarten through first-graders will attend class at the Discovery Museum; second- and third-graders will be sent to Dunbar School, fourth-graders to Black Rock School, fifth-graders to Barnum School and sixth- through eighth-graders will go to the Discovery Magnet School.

Columbus, in the midst of a renovation project, discovered window caulking was made with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a carcinogen. The caulking was removed, but some of the substance breached containment, causing the air to test positive for a higher level of PCBs than is considered safe by federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Several tests have been conducted to determine if air and surfaces in the school are free of contamination. The school has consistently passed a "wipe" test of surfaces, but air tests have yielded levels of PCBs higher than what is deemed appropriate for preschool-age children on the second and third floors of the school.

Ramos said Monday the school will continue to be tested until it passes. The next test is slated for either Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The testing equipment comes from Glastonbury, which also has lost power in many areas.

Contact Linda Lambeck at 203-330-6218 or lclambeck@ctpost.com.