The children of primary school De Rainbow and childcare Trema in Nieuwendijk are back in the classrooms on Tuesday. The buildings were evacuated on Monday because of a chemical smell. It was expected that the children would also have to stay at home on Tuesday, but the building is safe again.
The cause of the chemical smell was probably the underfloor heating. It has not been used before, because the new building was only taken into use this school year. “The glue came into contact with the heat for the first time and a substance was probably released as a result,” explains team leader Laurens Blokland. “According to the contractor, that happens often. But because the ventilation system has been off all weekend, it has started to heat up.”
He says so with a blow to the arm, because RIVM is still investigating what the exact cause was. On Monday evening and night there were devices in the school to measure the air quality. “We also ventilated the building all night and this morning the air was safe enough to start.”
Stuffy air
Two children and four childcare staff members felt faint on Monday morning because of the stuffy, warm air in the building. The fire brigade and ambulances came to the scene, but it was unclear what exactly was going on. As a precaution, both the shelter and the school were therefore evacuated. The children and teachers who became unwell were checked, but nothing serious was discovered. They were able to go home soon afterwards.
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