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Colorado Springs D-11 reports possible health concerns related to rubber flooring at multiple schools

Posted at 12:39 PM, Nov 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-17 15:05:37-05

COLORADO SPRINGS – On Friday, Colorado Springs School District 11 sent out a release stating that the district recently became aware of a certain kind of rubberized flooring that has the potential to release mercury vapors during the normal wear and tear a floor receives. This type of flooring is typically used in gymnasiums.

The district said the presence of this flooring does not automatically present a concern.

According to the district, there are no industry standards or testing requirements for mercury contained in rubberized flooring. Based on case studies done in school districts around the county, D-11 decided to conduct preliminary testing at nine schools in the district and found mercury in the flooring. The district said that based on this preliminary data, there is no cause for any immediate health or environmental concerns. The nine schools are listed below.

  • Doherty High School
  • Sabin Middle School
  • Russell Middle School
  • Chipeta Elementary School
  • Fremont Elementary School
  • Grant Elementary School
  • Henry Elementary School
  • King Elementary School
  • Ruday Elementary School

The district said it will retain a third-party environmental consultant with “extensive experience in mitigating rubber floors to conduct further testing, evaluate data, address any environmental or health concerns, develop abatement plans as needed, and supervise implementation of the necessary remediation measures.”

According to the district, based on these findings, if flooring needs to be replaced, funding will come from the 2017 mill levy override.

The district said throughout this process it is communicating with families and staff and using ventilation and temperature control techniques to address and lower any mercury levels that could potentially cause any harm.