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Mary Benson Park in Jersey City was closed on March 17 2016 after health inspectors found lead paint chips in the park. Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY -- Hudson County health inspectors this week found lead paint chips in a Downtown Jersey City park, a discovery that led the city to close the park until further notice and has parents in the area rattled.

Inspectors believe the paint chips found at Mary Benson Park, which sits in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike Extension, came from the turnpike and wafted over to the park, which is used daily by students at School 5, located across the street.

The park was closed in 2012 after elevated levels of lead were found in the soil.

Parents who spoke to The Jersey Journal outside the pre-k-through-grade-eight school today said they are worried.

"Something like that shouldn't happen," said Amir Khan, father of three children under age 11. "They should really be careful. There are children playing."

Told about the lead paint chips, Sandra Stanek, at the school to pick up her 5-year-old granddaughter, said, "Wow. That's big."

"She goes there daily to play," she said. "Every day after school."

The revelation comes on the heels of the news that water in Newark public schools has had elevated levels of lead since as far back as 2012, and as lead contamination in urban communities has come under closer scrutiny.

A request for comment from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority was not returned.

The Hudson Regional Health Commission sent an inspector to the park after a phone call from a concerned citizen, and an initial analysis performed this week indicated a presence of lead in the paint chips found there, according to Monique Davis, the commission's spokeswoman. Final test results should be completed by next week, Davis said.

Asked whether parents of children who play at the park should be concerned, Davis said she did not want to speculate. Lead exposure is something that happens over a period of time, she said.

"I understand the concern with some of the other things that are going on," she said. "But right now it would be difficult to speculate and say that there's any level of concern."

Cory Semi, a mother of two School 5 students and president of its parent-teacher group, told The Jersey Journal she saw kids playing in the park as late as 4 p.m. yesterday. Semi said parents have consistently had concerns about the area's air quality.

"We were out there the day before," Semi said about the park. "Since it's been so gorgeous, we've had the luxury of being in that park earlier than we would have."

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the city closed the park yesterday out of an "abundance of caution." The city installed a new playground at the park within the last two years.

"While this contamination is localized, the park is used by children during the school day and after school so we wanted to take the necessary precautions," Morrill said.

School 5's parents have been told that classroom windows will remain closed as inspectors investigate the park.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.