School Site History
Sasol North America (see also Sasol Watch), a petrochemical company whose parent company is based in South Africa, operated its main research and development laboratories in this facility for 16 years, and leased lab space to 6 other companies for R&D work over the years. Extensive chemicals were used onsite. The facility consists of a primary building and five satellite buildings that housed numerous chemicals and operations, including:
- Sulfonation pilot plant
- (4) 300-gallon benzene storage tanks
- Alumina processing (including mixing, drying, calcining, dry air processing)
- Alcohol reactors
- Solvent storage room, with dedicated containment system to store hazardous materials
- Bench-scale radioactive laboratory
- Acid neutralization tank was located onsite to treat wastewater from the laboratory sinks and drains
- Diesel-fired back-up generator
- Sasol and one of its tenants (Genomic FX) held EPA permits and classifications for generating hazardous waste
(Source: PBS&J Phase I and II Environmental Assessment)
Environmental Assessment History
To complete the real estate transaction, a limited Phase I/Phase II environmental assessment was performed. This assessment was determined to be inadequate to assess the health and safety conditions of the buildings or surrounding property. The real estate transaction was completed before the analytical results and report were final. A concerned parent petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for immediate assistance to ensure that the district perform a more comprehensive environmental investigation to ensure and determine the safety of the site for children.
Using a federal grant, the EPA contracted the TCEQ to begin a preliminary assessment and site investigation. As a result, a second firm was hired by LISD to complete a more comprehensive environmental investigation. The scope of the second environmental investigation included:
-soil samples (exterior and sub-slab)
-air samples (interior and sub-slab)
-wipe samples
-sheetrock samples
-mercury vapor screening
-electromagnetic frequency (EMF) readings along electrical wires adjacent to playground areas
-radioactive material testing (Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS))