Air, soil to be tested at MCAS Beaufort schools - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Air, soil to be tested at MCAS Beaufort schools

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. — The Department of Defense is looking into health concerns raised last month by staff and faculty at two schools at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen said Thursday that an independent firm will conduct tests on air and soil quality, drinking water, radon levels, mold, mildew and asbestos levels at the schools.

They are Baler Elementary and Bolden Elementary/Middle Schools, both located on the Marine installation. The schools are overseen by the Defense Department’s Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools division.

A spokeswoman for the division, Cindy Gibson, said the complaints came from about a half-dozen adults and were passed on through their union.

Gibson said she was not aware of any health complaints from the 650 students who attend the two schools.

“We want to get to the bottom of this,” the spokeswoman said. “That’s why we are seeking more extensive tests.”

McMeen, a spokesman for the Marine installation, said the staff members’ concerns were raised in February and passed on to their union representative, who contacted administrators and the Defense Department.

He said the complaints were not identical, so officials planned a wide range of tests as well as an epidemiological study of those who work at the school. School is continuing at the sites, he said.

An initial round of tests conducted in mid-February turned up no specific problems. The school schedule has not been interrupted.

McMeen said results of some of the more in-depth tests might be available by May, but some would take longer.

Gibson said the school division will meet again with the teachers in May and pledged to keep them informed of the ongoing studies.

A report in the Beaufort Gazette quoted Charles Yahres, the principal at Bolden, saying that there was no specific pattern to the health concerns raised.

“That’s why this testing will be so broad in scope,” Yahres said.

A request to speak with Yahres was declined by a school receptionist, who referred all calls to the division spokeswoman.