Glen Cove High School gym had mercury vapor levels nearly four times the state limit, district says
The auxiliary gym floor at Glen Cove High School was found to have elevated levels of mercury vapors, according to district officials. Credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan
The Glen Cove High School auxiliary gym floor is being replaced after testing found mercury vapor levels nearly four times the limit allowed by the state, according to district officials.
Test results indicated vapor levels of 2.94 micrograms per cubic meter, officials said in a letter sent to the community earlier this month. The state threshold is 0.75 micrograms per cubic meter.
"During preliminary planning for the replacement of the middle school top and bottom gym floors this summer, the district’s environmental consultants informed us that those types of gym floors, produced during the 1960s, '70s and '80s, frequently used mercury in their construction to increase floor flexibility," district spokesman Ron Edelson said in a statement Tuesday. "It was that knowledge that prompted the district to perform mercury vapor testing in those district gyms that had floors that dated back to that time period."
Testing results for the middle school gym flooring showed mercury vapor levels of 0.33 micrograms per cubic meter, below the state threshold.
"Based on our current assessment, there is no indication that any other polyurethane flooring in the district is emitting mercury vapors," the district said in the letter to the community.
Mercury flooring banned
Prolonged exposure to high levels of mercury, a neurotoxin, can affect an individual’s vision and cognitive function and cause muscle weakness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill in 2019 banning new mercury flooring in schools and setting limits on exposure to the neurotoxin, Newsday previously reported.
Dr. Cyrus Kuschner, a physician in Northwell Health's medical toxicology department, said mercury can be found in foods like tuna which, if consumed in large quantities, could lead to a buildup of the neurotoxin causing long-term neurological development effects.
He said younger children and pregnant individuals are more at risk than older students and adults. He added that symptoms are more likely to arise if an individual has been exposed to a large quantity of mercury.
"Persons sleeping overnight or working for long periods of time in an enclosed space are more at risk for absorbing mercury by inhalation than those who are exposed for a brief period of time like ... recess," he said.
Edelson said that the high school auxiliary gym floor and two middle school gym floors are expected to be removed this month and new flooring will be installed in September. Officials in the athletic department are working on developing "alternative instructional plans" and adjusting practice schedules as the work continues, district officials said in an Aug. 20 letter to the high school community.
"It is the district’s expectation that the high school auxiliary gym will reopen by mid-September, with the middle school gyms reopened no later than the beginning of October," Edelson said. "Throughout the removal of the flooring as well as prior to reopening of the gyms, air-quality testing will be performed to ensure that the district is within state mandates."
District officials said there would be a community update at the school board meeting on Sept. 3.
School officials said they would partner with J.C. Broderick & Associates, a Hauppauge environmental firm, throughout the year to ensure the mercury vapor levels at the middle school remain below the safe and allowable limit.
