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Residents and committee press Tangipahoa Parish schools for independent testing after Aug. 22 explosion
Summary
Community members told the school board that soot and health symptoms since an Aug. 22 industrial explosion suggest lingering contaminants; they urged independent testing of campuses and more transparency than they say federal testing has provided.
Sergeant Marvin Vernon and parents urged the Tangipahoa Parish School Board on Dec. 2 to seek independent testing of school campuses after an Aug. 22 industrial explosion, saying local scientists have found chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency has not publicly identified.
"They feel that the EPA is not telling us everything that we need to know about this," Sergeant Vernon said, describing a community committee that has met with outside scientists and engineers. He asked the district to authorize campus testing independent of EPA oversight and to monitor health indicators over time.
Resident Jody Hart, who said he lives about a half‑mile from the blast site, told the board he evacuated within an hour of the explosion and later found his home coated in "oil and soot." Hart said his daughter has developed new nosebleeds and respiratory and gastrointestinal problems since the incident and that an independent tester found residues he described as chemical burns on a neighbor’s hand. "This black substance is still on the school," Hart said of photographs he provided to the board.
Board members responded that the district has used contracted environmental consultants for campus testing and that the staff member who manages those contracts is Miss Tracy Hudson. "She handles all of that for us," a board member said, noting the district contracts testing through Ritter Consultants and that testing records are public records that can be shared with the committee.
The board and committee discussed next steps: committee members offered to provide their independent findings and experts for a public forum; district officials said they would coordinate a briefing by the person who manages environmental testing and would share results of testing already completed. Board members repeatedly emphasized they want to be transparent and pledged to review any additional testing recommendations.
No formal vote or contract award occurred at the meeting; the public comments prompted the board to commit to further information‑sharing and to meet with committee representatives and district environmental staff.
The board did not adopt independent testing at this session but asked staff to make available records of any testing done since the explosion and to follow up about whether additional testing is warranted.
