Sickening Smell at Tucker Middle School

I had the occasion today to visit Tucker Middle School where my son is
in sixth grade. I was appalled at the odor of raw sewage hanging in the
air in the sixth grade hall. I mentioned my concern to the front office.
I was informed the problem has persisted for well over a month.

This is not a faint, occasional whiff of sewage. This is a thick, hangs
in the air and fouls your clothes smell.

My son has had a cough for a month. Most of his classmates also have the
same symptoms. The front office informed me that many of the teachers
are also experiencing the same symptoms.

National Institute for Health (NIH) considers exposure to sewage smells
to be a health risk. The abstract published here
http://oem.bmj.com/content/56/5/354.abstract outlines their concern for adult workers at sewage treatment plants.

Due to the length of exposure time and the prevalence of current health
problems, I strongly recommend the school be closed until the underlying
sewage leak has been resolved.

I will be contacting the DeKalb Board of Health, the plumbing inspection
department and CDC to contact Tucker Middle and assist where applicable.
If this were day one or two, I would not be as concerned. Since this
situation has been ongoing for over a month it's time to act very
quickly and decisively.

Jim Kinney