Soil Test Results Have Come In From SPS Technologies Fire

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — The results are in from the latest soil testing since the SPS Technologies fire in mid-February.

Jenkintown Borough officials and State Rep. Ben Sanchez said that SPS soil testing did show that Jenkintown School District’s and Abington Friends School’s soil may contain slightly elevated levels of arsenic in some areas.

But officials said that is unrelated to the fire, which destroyed most of the 600,000-square-foot building on Highland Avenue that was battled for days by nearly 70 fire companies from the Philadelphia region.

"While this was an unanticipated finding, we have learned that it is not uncommon to find elevated arsenic levels in our area due to natural geological processes and human industrial activity," officials said. "The DEP received SPS’s results for Abington Friends School and Jenkintown Elementary School and will review the results of the SPS testing, along with Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) to determine if any further steps are required to ensure the safety of the broader community.

Since the fire, officials have been in "consistent contact" with both SPS Technologies and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that test result data was processed and made available promptly without compromising its integrity and validity.

"We are happy to announce that the results of the testing by both SPS and DEP are starting to come in and, so far, have not indicated that there are any signs of widespread hazards related to the fire," officials said.

The preliminary results are being evaluated by both parties to ensure consistent and accurate information is reported to the community, and further details by DEP and SPS will be available soon.

In the meantime, community members should continue to follow healthy habits for outdoor play and activities, such as:

• Wash your hands. Wash your hands with soap and water after playing or working outside
• Keep dirt at the door. Take off/wipe your shoes or dirty clothing to minimize soil coming into your home or workplace. Mop any tracked dirt on the floors.
• Cover bare soil. To minimize exposure to soil while playing outdoors, ensure grass, sod, or mulch is planted or placed in play areas.
• Pet care. Pet owners should also consider precautionary measures such as wiping paws before entering their home and keeping pets from eating off the soil surfaces.

Testing results are posted on the SPS website and will be posted on the DEP website shortly. The websites will continue to be updated as additional data and analysis are available.