Contractors asked to pay medical bills

The Ministry of Education has requested that a construction company pay the medical expenses of four teachers and a student, who were allegedly affected by the spraying of a banned chemical at a school in Portland.

The Ministry made the request after it was claimed that the construction company was not authorised to carry out any spraying of chemicals at the school, nor contracted to secure the service of any pest control company. The Ministry is now awaiting a reply from the construction company.

It is alleged that after the spraying, persons at the school became ill and developed symptoms of nausea, vomiting, burning eyes, itching, and encountered dizzy spells.

Further allegations are that there was use of a banned chemical by the pest control company, which was reportedly called in by the contractors to eradicate rodents and other crawling insects at the school.

The incident is said to not only have left the four teachers and a student ill, but also affected others after they experienced itching of the hands, face and feet, and dried lips.

Among those who were allegedly affected was the principal, who also had to receive treatment.

Yesterday, the principal said that he was not in a position to comment on the matter. He, however, said that classes at the school were held on Wednesday, Thursday, and yesterday.

Meantime, checks by THE STAR with the Portland Ministry of Health revealed that a team from the Public Health department visited the school, and conducted the necessary test, while providing treatment to those affected.

A source from the local Ministry of Health, who asked not be named, said that the test, done so far has shown that at least one of the chemicals used is on a list of banned chemicals.

insect scourge

On February 27, the construction company which was building a new laboratory block at the school, encountered an army of crawling insects including centipedes, roaches, and rats. A pest control company was said to have been called in and chemicals used to rid the area of the pests.

The school was also given the assurance that it would be safe for school to reopen on March 1.

But school officials were in for a shock on the first day of that month, as students started to show signs of illness, and persons were finding it increasingly difficult to breath in class.

The fire department was called in, to wash out all the classrooms at the school, and the Ministry of Health was later called in.

- Gareth Davis Sr