ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Louis District discussed its findings and its extensive sampling and testing efforts conducted at Jana Elementary School under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) at a technical forum hosted by Saint Louis University’s College of Public Health and Social Justice yesterday.
During their 1.5-hour presentation, amidst a gathering of technical experts, peers and other interested parties, USACE discussed the details of how they applied industry-standard best practices in its sampling and testing efforts to address radiological concerns at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri. These efforts ultimately determined that the school, from a radiological standpoint, is safe for adults and children.
“This was a great opportunity for us to show, in front of our peers in the industrial hygiene, health physics and environmental remediation communities, the extent and thoroughness of our efforts at Jana Elementary,” said Phil Moser, St. Louis District program manager for FUSRAP. “There was a lot of initial confusion circulating around our community and we are grateful for the chance to discuss how our methodologies, grounded in the guidelines that dictate how radiation work should be executed, conclusively show that Jana is safe.”
The FUSRAP team was invited by Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice to participate in the forum, which was sponsored by the St. Louis American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the Health Physics Society and the Center for Environmental Education and Training at Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice.
This forum comes on the heels of USACE’s release of the first of three final reports detailing the results of its findings from its sampling and testing efforts at Jana Elementary School last year. The first report, which was released April 25, focuses on the sampling conducted on the surfaces of structures used by the school for educational and recreational purposes and confirms that the school is safe from a radiological standpoint. Read more about this first report here.
The two final reports currently under development will provide additional data on the sampling and testing activities that occurred inside and outside the school building and on the playground. These reports will be released within the next few months, and USACE will discuss the results of all three reports with the community at a public meeting shortly thereafter.
In addition to finalizing these reports, and out of an abundance of caution and to further address community concerns, the USACE St. Louis District has engaged the Army Geospatial Center (AGC), a major subordinate center under USACE, to assist in conducting additional historical aerial assessments of North St. Louis County, including the Coldwater Creek areas. Using aerial photography and other available imagery, this effort is intended to compare current and historical images of these sites. USACE is also advancing ongoing remediation efforts along Coldwater Creek authorized under FUSRAP.
The first report, known as a Final Status Survey Evaluation report, is available online and can be viewed here:
https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Portals/54/docs/fusrap/Reports/Jana Elementary/Jana School Structures FSSE_Rev0_04-24-2023-r.pdf.