More than 100 distressed parents and community members gathered in west Malibu on Wednesday night for a presentation by an environmental consultant who urged the group to press for air quality testing at Malibu High School.
“This is a no-brainer thing to do,” said Paul Rosenfeld, an environmental chemist with Soil/Water/Air Protection Enterprise (SWAPE) with an expertise in the areas of soil chemistry and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination.
Rosenfeld criticized the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for neglecting to test the air quality of buildings E (the main middle school building), F (Music and Drama), I (Visual Arts) and the school theater in 2010 when an environmental report found elevated levels of lead, pesticides and PCBs in campus soil.
The extent of the pesticide and PCB-contaminated soils in the middle school quad area was estimated to be 1,017 cubic yards, before it was removed in 2010.
Some parents said they were frustrated at the district for doing little follow-up after the soil removal three years ago, causing a need for the community to seek this independent analysis.
“They’ve demonstrated that they don’t do the right thing,” one parent said.
Others worried about continuing to send their children to the school until the air quality is proven safe.
PCBs deserve a closer look, Rosenfeld said, as many were often used in building materials such as paint, caulk, window glazing and ventilation ducts before being banned in 1979.
“[The district] didn’t test to see whether this stuff had gotten into the air,” Rosenfeld said.
PCBs have been classified as a human carcinogen, according to a World Health Organization report cited by Rosenfeld.
Wednesday’s gathering at the Point Dume Club was also intended to garner financial support from parents wishing to hire Rosenfeld as an independent consultant. Many are hoping for a second opinion on the 2010 environmental tests and ongoing tests now being conducted by the district.
Attendees were asked to leave checks to pay an estimated $5,000 for Rosenfeld’s services as a consultant who will draft a letter to the school district. He offered to conduct the air testing at an added cost, but it was unclear whether parents would pursue that option.
Elaine Rene-Wasserman, a Malibu liaison appointed by the school district, attended the meeting and said she planned on raising the concerns she heard with district officials. Rene-Weissman and a district-organized task force are set to hold a meeting Thursday morning.
Before Wednesday’s meeting, district Supt. Sandra Lyon issued a statement saying she hoped the community would approach the task force directly.Â
“We seek the facts and the truth, and we are committed to take the necessary action to include key stakeholders throughout the data collection and analysis process. I understand that parents are meeting to discuss hiring their own expert, and we have been asking them to bring their concerns and questions to the task force so that we may work collaboratively to gather the facts,” Lyon said.
Check back this week for more on Wednesday’s meeting and reaction from the school district.