Brevard County school officials said they will test the drinking water at 13 campuses on the barrier islands for possible contamination after firefighting chemicals were discovered in the groundwater at Patrick Air Force Base recently.
Officials said there is no information that there are problems with the drinking water at the schools or the water from Melbourne or Cocoa water utilities.
Even so, school officials said they want to collect scientific data on the water before students return to classes in August.
Residents became alarmed about water contamination after recent media reports of traces of firefighting chemicals were found in the underground water at the Air Force base in 2014 and 2017.
The chemicals found – perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid – are in firefighting foam and implicated in some types of cancer and thyroid effects, school officials said, pointing to several scientific studies.
The school district will test the drinking water at the following schools: Satellite High, Delaura Middle, Holland Elementary, Surfiside Elementary, Cocoa Beach Junior and Senior High, Freedom 7 Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Cape View Elementary, Ocean Breeze Elementary, Hoover Middle, Indialantic Elementary, Gemini Elementary.
mcomas@orlandosentinel.com