EPA To Meet With Families Impacted By Mercer School Lead Contamination

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently discovered lead contamination at Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School in East Trenton.

After the findings, City officials closed off all play areas at the school and are planning to test the students, Mayor Reed Gusciora informed the community.

The EPA is currently working with the school district to develop a plan that would protect the community, officials said. The EPA is also working with the school district to develop a plan that would allow children to return to the play areas that contain soil.

In December 2023, EPA coordinated with the Trenton Public

School District to collect and analyze soil samples from two schools. Officials found lead levels in soil at Ulysses S. Grant school that required immediate action.

Soil samples from Darlene C. McKnight Elementary School were also tested, but officials found that the levels of lead that do not require immediate action.

EPA staff will be available at Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School to speak with parents and answer questions on Friday, February 9, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The agency is also hosting a community meeting for parents and community members on February 21, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. at the school.

EPA officials will present on the work that has been done so far, and the next steps they plan to take. Community members will also have time to ask questions.

What Caused Lead Contamination At The School

For many years, East Trenton was an industrial area. Back in 2018, EPA began an investigation into a former solder manufacturer in East Trenton and found elevated lead levels on residential properties near the facility, according to the latest report released by the EPA.

However, they determined that the lead contamination was not caused by the solder manufacturer.

They began investigating the pottery industry in 2020 as the potential source of elevated lead levels. This required extensive research and a field investigation to determine whether the potteries caused lead contamination in the soil.

EPA began sampling residential properties and parks within the Top Road and East Trenton neighborhoods in 2023.

The pottery industry was prominent in Trenton with a major hub in the East Trenton and Top Road neighborhoods.

“The industry grew from the 1850s until the 1920s when it began to shrink considerably during the Great Depression. Potteries in Trenton manufactured products, including tableware, art ceramics, sanitary ware, and electrical porcelain,” The EPA said in its report.

“The industry flourished due to its central location between New York and Philadelphia, allowing for easy export of finished goods and import of central New Jersey clays and eastern Pennsylvania coals along the canals and railroads that went through the city.”

According to the report, lead was commonly used in glazes which were subject to high temperatures in the firing kilns.

“Lead may have been released in the exhaust from the kilns and into the air to then settle into the soil downwind from the kilns,” according to the report.

“Soil containing ceramic pieces that was likely used as fill material during development of the residential neighborhoods in East Trenton may also be adding to the lead contamination.”

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