Toxic fumes persist at Brooklyn special-needs school despite state remediation efforts

More than two years after installing an air-filtration system, a special-needs elementary school near the Gowanus Canal still shows elevated levels of hazardous vapors, raising concerns for its young students.

At PS 372, a special-needs school located beside Brooklyn’s polluted Gowanus Canal, an air-filtration system installed in 2025 has failed to fully remove volatile organic compounds from the annex building. Recent analyses detected benzene, xylene and other potentially carcinogenic vapors at concentrations higher than normal indoor air, though state agencies maintain the levels do not pose an increased health risk. Parents, including Julia Finnegan, argue that young children could be exposed for a significant portion of their early lives.

The Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Health Department disclosed the findings to principal Rosa Amato and Father Orlando Ruiz only last week and are now planning additional measures such as a heat-recovery ventilator. Environmental activist Walter Hang and the Gowanus Community Advisory Group have demanded a transparent risk assessment before the new school year begins. The New York City Department of Education affirmed its commitment to student safety while working with state officials on further air-quality improvements.