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Recently our
elementary school was closed for mold contamination. We have had a
number of experts evaluate the building. Too many experts add up to a
lot of confusion. We have had a number/numerous of illnesses in the
school, and for the most part those children with previous symptoms have
been relieved since the school closing. The primary reason for its
closing was air, swab and bulk samples taken in the school. The air
samples are being completely discounted by the IAQ company that is
presently engaged by the school. There is some evidence of mold
growth, a pretty complete visual inspection was undertaken, and they
claim there is some mold growth, but is to be considered minimal by
their standards. My concern is they may be missing something
somewhere. The school is in a low lying area and is susceptible to a
lot of water. This expert thinks the district was ridiculous for
closing the school. I understand the potential danger in relying on air
samples, but there seems to be some role here. For example we had a
room swab that had a level of Aspergillus sydowii of 190,000 cfu/in2
along with Penicillium at 25,000 and yeasts at 86,000. We had a
janitor’s closet that yielded Penicillium at 250,000. With many
rooms with samples similar to these, it seems indicative of something.
Although I believe visual inspection was pretty good, and no smoking
gun, I guess my question is what are your feelings about a school that
has shown numerous health issues?. One teacher developed brain lesions,
that medical experts have interpreted as possible mold contamination.
Since this started 3 years ago there have been numerous reports of
runny and bloody noses, and some kids with pretty severe symptoms
Currently there are 3 lawsuits pending. The school is going along with
a remediation project that seems minimal. What are your thoughts?-Don ,
New Jersey
I will try to address many of the
issues/concerns that you express. The “confusion” of experts is not
unusual, particularly in school buildings subject to air quality
problems. Because of health and safety concerns we parents have for our
children, schools are “unusually politically sensitive” to issues such
as mold and related health effects.
Initially school officials may not take
such issues seriously since “they don’t or don’t want to believe there
is a problem”. They hope the problems will “go away” and then get back
to the routine of running the school. Consequently staff and parents
become angry as their concerns are not being taken seriously. The media
may become involved and school officials start throwing money at the
problem in the form of experts whom they expect will tell them that
there is not a problem. This is challenged by staff and parents and
before one knows it, there has been a “gaggle” of experts in the
building, reporting different results with some concluding there is a
problem and others that no problem exists.
Air testing can be conducted in such a
manner that it yields results that are meaningful relative to whether a
potentially significant mold exposure problem exists. Such testing
should include both volumetric culture plate testing and total mold
sampling with analyses at 1000X magnification. Because of mechanical
ventilation culture plate counts are usually low. Concentrations above
300 CFU/m3 would suggest a local mold infestation (or that
the window is open). Counts on total mold spore samples conducted at
1000X and including particle bounce beyond the deposition strip above
5000 S/m3 also indicate a potential for mold infestation.
Such samples should be collected during class time as student activity
makes a significant difference in measured airborne mold spore levels.
The use of swab samples can be
problematic. However, the numbers you report appear to be unusually high
given that limited mold growth was observed in a visual inspection.
They suggest that a source of mold spores is present in areas where
samples were collected or that dust is mold contaminated. The school
building being in a low-lying area would be a significant risk factor
for a mold infestation problem,
Almost all school buildings have health
issues if one looks for them. These include inadequate ventilation,
mold problems, allergens such as cat, dog and even mold brought into
buildings by children and staff. These all can cause symptoms that
diminish or go away when one is out of the building. Mold is but one of
the common health-affecting issues found in school buildings.
Given the lawsuits, etc., the
situation in your school has really gotten out of hand. Based on my
experiences, the only thing that will “cure”/remediate this problem is
time. It takes a long time to restore the trust needed to “solve” your
school’s problem.
February 16, 2004
Indoor
Environmental Quality (2000), Thad Godish Ph.D., C.I.H
Direct E-mail
00tjgodish@bsu.edu
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