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Llama
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Anyone from Boston with kids who take the busses should read this. There may be delays in getting the kids home.
Concrete Dust Sickens Workers, Delays Bus Service
Dust Spews From Building, Covering School Buses
POSTED: 1:20 pm EDT September 28, 2006
UPDATED: 3:20 pm EDT September 28, 2006
BOSTON -- An incident at a Charlestown concrete company Thursday sent a cloud of thick dust over the company compound and a Boston schools bus yard next door, forcing dozens to local hospital and delaying bus service.
Authorities said a failure with a dust collection system at about 12:40 p.m. at the Lafarge North America plant at 285 Medford St., caused the problems. Crystalline silica, a sand-like substance, spewed from one of the buildings after an apparent explosion, covering dozens of school buses that were parked in the adjacent bus yard.
Thirty-nine people were taken by Massport buses to area hospitals, and 21 were taken by ambulances. They were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center and New England Medical Center. There were no reports of any serious injuries.
Ed Coletta, of the Department of Environmental Protection, said that about 3,000 pounds of crystalline silica was released into the air.
"Cement dust can lead to mucus membrane irritation, and that is an issue right now, but it is being handled," Coletta said.
The bus yard serves about one-third of the fleet of Boston public school buses, according to Interim Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools Michael Contompasis.
"As a result of this emergency, no school buses are leaving the Charlestown bus yard this afternoon in order to ensure the safety of all students and drivers. Therefore, BPS families should be prepared for significant delays in yellow bus transportation this afternoon," Contompasis said in a statement.
Schools in northern parts of the city are likely to be most affected, but the delays are likely to have a citywide impact.
Parents were told that they could pick up their children at school and that principals and other staff members would remain at every school until every child has been picked up or safely boarded on a bus.
NewsCenter 5 and TheBostonChannel.com will have more information when it becomes available. Refresh this page for updates.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/9955820/detail.html
Concrete Dust Sickens Workers, Delays Bus Service
Dust Spews From Building, Covering School Buses
POSTED: 1:20 pm EDT September 28, 2006
UPDATED: 3:20 pm EDT September 28, 2006
BOSTON -- An incident at a Charlestown concrete company Thursday sent a cloud of thick dust over the company compound and a Boston schools bus yard next door, forcing dozens to local hospital and delaying bus service.
Authorities said a failure with a dust collection system at about 12:40 p.m. at the Lafarge North America plant at 285 Medford St., caused the problems. Crystalline silica, a sand-like substance, spewed from one of the buildings after an apparent explosion, covering dozens of school buses that were parked in the adjacent bus yard.
Thirty-nine people were taken by Massport buses to area hospitals, and 21 were taken by ambulances. They were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center and New England Medical Center. There were no reports of any serious injuries.
Ed Coletta, of the Department of Environmental Protection, said that about 3,000 pounds of crystalline silica was released into the air.
"Cement dust can lead to mucus membrane irritation, and that is an issue right now, but it is being handled," Coletta said.
The bus yard serves about one-third of the fleet of Boston public school buses, according to Interim Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools Michael Contompasis.
"As a result of this emergency, no school buses are leaving the Charlestown bus yard this afternoon in order to ensure the safety of all students and drivers. Therefore, BPS families should be prepared for significant delays in yellow bus transportation this afternoon," Contompasis said in a statement.
Schools in northern parts of the city are likely to be most affected, but the delays are likely to have a citywide impact.
Parents were told that they could pick up their children at school and that principals and other staff members would remain at every school until every child has been picked up or safely boarded on a bus.
NewsCenter 5 and TheBostonChannel.com will have more information when it becomes available. Refresh this page for updates.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/9955820/detail.html
