Kentucky School Children Exposed To Toxic Chemical
Several Kentucky schools were among the schools identified in an EPA report to have elevated levels of a toxic chemical called acrolein in the air surrounding the schools. Acrolein is a chemical used in industry that was utilized in a weaponized form as a chemical weapon during World War I and has been known to worsen asthma symptoms and cause eye and throat irritation, and possibly worse, in children and adults.
The EPA found elevated acrolein in the air surrounding 15 schools cited in the report. At these schools, regulators found average Acrolein levels at least 100 times higher than what the government considers save for long-term exposure.
The monitoring is part of a $2.25 million program that began in response to a USA TODAY investigation that identified hundreds of schools where chemicals from nearby industries appear to saturate the air. The preliminary results are meant to help determine only whether students face any immediate dangers from toxic chemicals. The EPA will use additional tests to evaluate long-term health risks.
USA TODAY used an EPA Model to track the path of industrial pollution and mapped the locations of almost 128,000 schools to determine the levels of toxic chemicals outside. The potential problems that emerged were, according to the report, "widespread, insidious and largely unaddressed."
To see the full USA TODAY report, click on this link: Toxic Air & America's Schools.
