School named after Al Gore was built on toxic soil

[Analog]

Al Gore's series of misfortunate events continues. This year, his 40-year marriage hit the skids and he was accused of sexual assault (charges dismissed.) Now, what would seem a great honor -- having a school named after him -- has turned into a punch line for critics.The $75.5 million Carson-Gore Academy of Environmental Sciences, also named after pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson, was built on apparently contaminated soil, reports the Los Angeles Times. The story says workers have worked feverishly to clean up the site so the Los Angeles area school can open Monday, as slated.
Environmentalists are appalled. "Renaming this terribly contaminated school after famous environmental advocates is an affront to the great work that these individuals have done to protect the public's health from harm," an environmental coalition wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Times reports.


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/09/al-gore-school-polluted-/1

 

[IronWing]

If the playground soils are contaminated then I see a reason to remove/replace them. If the soils are acting as a source for groundwater contamination then treating/removing them might be in order. If the school is just going to pave/build right over them then it makes no sense to move them at all.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

So. Why didn't they know about this when building the school?

 

[Analog]

So. Why didn't they know about this when building the school?

Weapon of mass deception!

 

[PottedMeat]

rachel carson / al gore? i would have figured DDT contamination :awe:, but it seems to be industrial chemicals.

 

[theeedude]

I am sure Gore is feeling "unfortunate" over this, being newly single multi-millionaire former Senator, VP, Nobel Prize and Oscar best documentary winner, Apple director,and venture capitalist that he is.
What's he gonna with his life now that a school that is named after him is found to have contaminated soil?