The Texas State Department of Health Services is investigating claims that students at Austin’s Brykerwoods Elementary School may have been exposed to high levels of lead and asbestos after a recent renovation project.

According to a story on Fox 7-Austin, the renovations were completed during a recent Spring Break, but when the children returned to school, desks were still covered with dangerous dust, which may have contained lead and/or asbestos.

Yesterday, an inspector from the Department of Health Services performed a complete compliance inspection at the school, which is 70-years-old, taking samples from work areas for testing. School officials say the results should be available in about a week.

“The health department was here today, and I took him around to all the classrooms and showed him where all the work was done,” says Brykerwoods Principal Artie Arce.

Principal Arce noted that 13 of the school’s classrooms were renovated during the break.  In most cases, the paint on the window panes was sanded off; Arce says the paint most likely contained lead. In addition, renovation also included removing the old caulking or glazing on the edges of the windows.  Principal Arce says those areas contained asbestos.

The Austin Independent School District claims air quality tests were performed before students were allowed to return to the building.

PTA President Lize Burr says she wants to know who cleaned up after the renovation, and how dangerous the remaining dust may have been to children who inhaled it.

“This is an older building, and there were materials used when it was built that were unsafe,” Burr says.  “In the future, if work like this is going to be done, is this the best way to go about the finished job?”

Principal Arce says the work crews were supposed to build a partition that concealed the work area. He notes that a re-cleaning will be performed.

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