MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Early soil sample results reveal most of the coal ash on Tutor Time of Mooresville's property is "sufficiently" covered by topsoil, the day care told parents in a recent alert. However, the day care revealed there are a few areas where the coal ash is closer to the surface.
"There is no visible exposure to coal ash mixture anywhere on the playground," the alert reads. "The soil boring samples taken by the experts showed the presence of coal ash below the topsoil in varying depths on our playground. The majority of the property shows topsoil sufficiently covering coal ash according to environmental experts. In a few areas, the coal ash mixture is closer to the surface."
Scientists have worried about that possibility, afraid kids could inhale tiny toxic particles or even put dirt in their mouths while playing. Recent tests from just beneath the surface of a nearby public median showed unacceptable and risky levels of arsenic and radioactivity, among a "cocktail of toxic elements."
To limit the potential risk of coal ash, state and federal regulators require the coal-burning byproduct, placed there decades ago as fill dirt, to be buried at least 18 inches beneath the ground. Scientists have said, that the closer the coal ash and its toxic ingredients are to the surface, the greater the risk vulnerable children could be exposed and suffer health impacts, sometimes years and even decades down the road.
WCNC Charlotte asked Tutor Time for specifics about just how deep the coal ash lies beneath the ground across the property Monday. Tutor Time did not share that information.
"This is what I would want to know. Across the entire property, what is the depth of the coal ash?" Dr. Angela Hind told WCNC Charlotte. "I hope that we will get a lot of data from the Tutor Time site."
Dr. Hind served as a medical consultant in the aftermath of a 2008 coal ash slurry spill in Tennessee. In a lawsuit, attorneys argued that contracted cleanup workers who weren't wearing protective equipment were exposed daily to toxic levels of arsenic and radioactive material, among other contaminants. Hundreds became sick and more than 60 died.
"The case in the end was a referendum on the toxicity of coal ash," Dr. Hind said.
She's since turned her attention to the day care. Dr. Hind spent childhood summers in Lake Norman and said her mother and brother live there today. The Asheville physician said she began studying toxic exposure after a thyroid cancer diagnosis in her forties.
"We all have a right to know what we've been exposed to and how it might affect our health and health trajectory," she told WCNC Charlotte.
In response to WCNC Charlotte's coal ash test results, Tutor Time announced plans for a complete playground renovation. In the meantime, to ensure kids still receive state-mandated "vigorous physical activity outdoors," crews added a mesh fence to part of the playground and barricades in the parking lot Monday.
"Here, there is ample greenspace for children to play outside of the school-age play structure," the alert to parents reads. "Additionally, we plan to install chain-link fencing around a designated section of our parking lot to create a blacktop play area."
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The day care is awaiting test results of its own from within the property.
"In addition, we want to let you know that we expect final test results to come back in October," the alert to parents says. "You will be informed of the findings. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience, trust, and understanding."
In recent weeks, a non-profit legal organization asked the Environmental Protection Agency to get involved "to ensure the protection of public health."