Ohio school closed for radioactive material being sold ‘as-is’

PIKETON , Ohio (WDTN) — A vacant school in southern Ohio has caught the attention of people across the U.S. as it heads for auction.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, Zahn’s Corner Middle School in Piketon will be auctioned. The listing indicates the 53,000 square-foot building, on around 9.83 acres, is selling for a minimum of $270,000.

In May 2019, the Scioto Valley Local School District reported that enriched uranium was located inside, and that neptunium-237 was outside of the building, which prompted the closure of the school.

In a statement from the Scioto Valley Local School District, the U.S. Department of Energy believed the “radioactive material” presence was from “stratospheric fallout” from nuclear testing during the 1950s and 1960s. A contradictory opinion found it to have resulted from Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, nearly 5 miles away.

The US Department of Energy asserted that this material originated from the 1950’s—1960’s “stratospheric fallout” from atmospheric nuclear tests and that the contamination levels detected at Zahn’s Corner Middle School fell below its own established thresholds for posing a serious risk to human health.

This conclusion, however, was analyzed by the Northern Arizona University, who found that the cause of the radioactive material originated from fugitive dust emissions from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant located near the Zahn’s Corner Middle School.

Scioto Valley Local School District

A spokesperson for the Pike County General Health District confirmed to WDTN.com that an independent resample study of the inside of the building occurred in late February and early March to identify “all contaminants of concern.” At this time, test results are being finalized.

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