Posted On February 6, 2020, the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) issued its “Evaluation and Management of Mercury-Containing Floors in New Jersey Schools: Guidance for School Districts and their Environmental Consultants.”
This long awaited 12-page NJDOH guidance goes into some level of detail on the assessment, evaluation and mitigation options. This guidance establishes a recommended criteria for mercury vapor of 0.8 µg/m3 in air in spaces with mercury-containing floors. The NJDOH guidance establishes this criteria as, “protective of preschool-age children and is based on an exposure frequency of eight hours per day for 180 days. This is the level of mercury in indoor air at which the NJDOH does not expect any harmful health effects among children as young as age 3.” In addition, this document recommends certain protective mitigation/abatement protocols, including ventilation, temperature control, and potential floor removal, depending on the mercury vapor concentrations present and site specific conditions. The NJDOH concurrently released a “Mercury-Containing Flooring in New Jersey Schools Information for Parents” fact sheet which summarizes the issues as well as separate guidance for medical practitioners.
PennJersey (listed under Willow Grove dba PennJersey) has a track record of successful mercury evaluation and remediation projects. We are an NJDOH Licensed Indoor Environmental Consultant. PennJersey is also NJDPMC/NJSDA pre-qualified and a NJ SBE firm.