When teachers in Somerset County's North Plainfield learned that their school had a floor emitting dangerous mercury vapors, they were outraged. 

They had asked for samples to be taken of the rubber flooring, but said they were told it wasn't legally required.

The district had done it anyway, secretly, and when teacher Theresa Fuller filed a public records request for the results, the gym was closed the next day. The district did what she called "damage control" to inform the community, but the exposure had already happened.

North Plainfield is one of an unknown number of school districts that have a type of hard rubber flooring, often installed in elementary school gyms and high school weight rooms, that can give off hazardous levels of mercury.  

From 2019: NJ to regulate school floor manufacturers after mercury vapors discovered

Workplace advocates warn that many of these districts may be sitting on a time bomb, because state officials have done little to educate or counteract the problem.  

Garfield schools only recently discovered mercury levels in one gym that were 16 times the limit considered safe. The district is spending $400,000 to remove the rubber flooring. 

Heather Sorge is an organizer for Healthy Schools Now, a coalition under the umbrella of the New Jersey Work Environment Council. She said her organization has been advocating for stricter standards for years.

The issue, she said, is a lack of awareness.

“We’ve advocated for a statewide survey of where these floors are, testing to see if there is a mercury component and then funding on a statewide level because the districts shouldn’t be responsible for these costly repairs,” Sorge said.

Not all of the floors are problematic, but it's impossible to know without testing. 

Elsewhere: Lacey school gym closed after mercury vapors discovered

Mercury exposure can harm the brain and central nervous system. The risk is higher for young children, whose neurological systems are still developing, and who are lower to the ground where vapors linger. Even short-term exposure can cause a cough or sore throat, headaches and chest pain.

Fuller, a teacher in North Plainfield for nearly 20 years and the president of the North Plainfield Education Association, said that in her district three gym teachers had been in the room with rubberized flooring their entire careers. They are healthy but live with worry. 

"In the end some have come down with health issues that they suspect could be related to the environment but there is no real way to prove it," Fuller said.

Pamela Hinman, the district's business administrator, said that when testing was done the vapor levels were below the state Department of Health standards and that the board of education hired an industrial hygienist "to provide guidance for the use of the floors in the future." The floors are being removed this summer.

"Remediating the mercury vapors in the gymnasium of North Plainfield Middle School is the primary focus of the board at this time," Hinman said.

Related: Mercury found in Freehold Township school gym

Shaheed Morris, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, referred to guidance issued by the Department of Health in February 2020. The guidance provides recommendations on how to evaluate and manage rubber floors in schools and what to do in the event of mercury exposure.

The guidance acknowledges that these floors were installed throughout the country until concerns about the emission of mercury vapors arose, but they could have been installed as late as 2005 or 2006.

It is “not known how many of these floors currently exist, whether they are still being installed or what schools have them," the guidance says. 

It suggests districts assess their flooring, hire an indoor environmental consultant and take samples. If the sample confirms mercury is present in the floor, air testing and monitoring is suggested.

Sorge said even the testing is not foolproof, because the exposure could worsen if the gym floors are torn up or scratched. There is also more mercury vapor when the floors are exposed to heat, so samplings done January would not reflect the dangers in May.

Schools are advised to keep ventilation high, but gymnasiums don’t have a reputation for being cool, well-ventilated spaces, she said.

“There is difficulty managing these floors in place,” Sorge said. “And when it comes to removal it’s not just the rubber floor being pulled up. The mercury can seep into the concrete and even the dirt underneath. They may be digging several inches deep to find ground with no mercury, like removing a tumor, you want clean margins."

The floors "don't belong in schools," she said. 

Steven Baker, spokesperson for the New Jersey Education Association, said the union “began a campaign to identify and replace those floors” once it became aware of the mercury problem. 

“We’ve worked to educate our members about this issue and have advocated with policymakers for swift action,” Baker said. “We continue to look for places where those floors may exist and pose a threat and to work with our members in those districts to ensure that any dangerous situations are addressed quickly.”

New Jersey allows for 0.8 micrograms of mercury per cubic meter. Sorge wants that standard to be lower,because there is no safe level of mercury exposure.

Even if a school gets a reading of 0.8 micrograms, New Jersey recommends a "feasible plan" to reduce vapors, and not necessarily removal.

Still, the biggest issue that advocates face is that school districts just don’t know about the dangers.

“A lot of people think that it’s just a removable mat but these floors are actually poured in place, and when they were installed mercury was used as a catalyst so floors would dry faster,” Sorge said. 

And as school districts renovate and come across issues, they are “stuck holding the bag with a million-dollar price tag because their predecessors were sold a floor with toxic metals,” she said. Many of the manufacturers have since gone out of business as well so holding them liable isn’t an option.

Sorge said changes may be coming. Sen. Cory Booker introduced the Mercury Vapor Study Act last year, which calls for a federal study.

Advocates have met with the governor’s office to talk about next steps but “talking and a plan to take action are different things,” she said.

Katie Sobko is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.