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Air Toxics Near Lamkin Elementary School Below Levels of Concern

Release Date: 11/09/2010
Contact Information: David Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

DALLAS - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the results of air monitoring data from Lamkin Elementary School found no health risk for short or long-term exposures to hexavalent chromium or other air toxics.

The final report is being placed on the agency’s website. Because no concentrations of concern were found, monitoring was discontinued at the school. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ) will continue to oversee industrial facilities in the area through the Clean Air Act regulatory programs.

The school located in Cypress, Texas, was selected because of its close proximity to a metal forging facility. From Sept. 16 through Dec. 8, 2009, air monitors collected air samples at the school where hexavalent chromium was the key pollutant of interest. During the monitoring period, EPA evaluated the concentrations to see if there was an issue with short-term exposures to air toxics. Once the monitoring was complete, EPA analyzed the results to see if there was a concern from long-term exposures.

The Schools Air Toxics Monitoring Initiative, which monitored outdoor air at 63 schools in 22 states, is designed to help EPA and state environmental agencies understand whether long-term exposure to air toxics poses health concerns for children and staff at the schools.

The report is posted on EPA’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/schoolair/schools.html

More about activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/nov2010.html