District B.O.E. asks LaFarge to test for mercury

The RCS school district is awaiting word from LaFarge Cement on whether it will test the middle and high school campus for mercury.

The RCS Board of Education Buildings and Grounds Committee asked representatives of the cement manufacturer during a recent meeting to conduct air and surface tests for mercury, said board member John Vadney.

LaFarge Cement is located across Route 9W from the middle and high school campus, which houses approximately 1,200 students each school day, as well as  hundreds of faculty and staff.

Vadney said the board wants to make sure that faculty and staff is safer and not being exposed to high levels of the pollutant.

A newspaper report last month said that a significant amount of mercury has been released into the air from the LaFarge Cement Plant.

RCS Facilities Director Gene Doane said on Friday he is continuing discussions with air quality experts at C.T. Male and Adirondack Labs about the report.