Province releases Three Oaks air quality, asbestos test results

The province has released air quality and asbestos test results for Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside, which reveal that air quality at the school did not always meet recommended guidelines. 

It's not yet clear whether the areas of the school which were tested — were inside or outside of the construction zone.

There have been ongoing concerns about student health and safety at the school, while it undergoes construction. 

Parent Toby MacDonald says she was frustrated with a lack of public information about air quality tests, and she recently made an official freedom of information request to get the information. 

"Nobody would answer our questions," MacDonald said. 

MacDonald says she and other parents are worried about the effect of keeping the school opening during construction, and believe their kids are getting sick because of the project. 

"There's a long list of problems from headaches, migraines, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pains, coughing," MacDonald said. 

Documents on government website

This week the provincial government released test results on its website. The documents discuss both air quality and exposure to asbestos, beginning in March 2017. The results show that while some areas met safety guidelines, others did not. 

The documents reveal that in March 2017, the Workers Compensation Board issued a stop work order because of the high level of asbestos contamination during construction. 

Asbestos levels significant

Surface dust samples were collected at the school to evaluate contamination. The report from All-Tech Environmental Services Limited says that 100,000 asbestos structures per square centimetre is considered significant contamination.

On one day at the school, some readings were 50 times that — exceeding 5 million units per square centimetre.  

All Tech Environmental Services said in the documents that, "activities which could occur at or near that surface which could cause asbestos fibres to become airborne, resulting in an unacceptable exposure risk to occupants in the vicinity." 

We made every effort to ensure that the students were in an environment that has been safe— Paula Biggar

Air quality tests

Tests were also done at the school looking at air quality in May 2018. Those tests looked at carbon monoxide, total volatile organic compounds and airborne particulates.

Documents state on May 15, testing was completed in four different locations. The particulate levels in two locations  were found to be above Health Canada guidelines for short-term exposure.  

The report also stated, "All four areas exceeded the long-term (annual) exposure guidelines." 

Efforts made to ensure safety, says province

The province says it did a lot of work to ensure students and staff were safe during construction, including having extra supports in place, and additional cleaning staff. 

"We made every effort to ensure that the students were in an environment that has been safe," said Paula Biggar, minister of transportation, infrastructure and energy.  

"We are very cognizant of the fact that some people are more sensitive to dust in an environment in general, and certainly we'll work with those particular parents who have concerns."

Biggar also said the results of ongoing air quality tests will be made public on a regular basis.

The school year is now over at Three Oaks, having finished early because of the construction. The province says 75 per cent of the work will be done by the time students return to class in September. 

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