Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004 |
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Mold: A growing problem By Taylor DeBartola “The classroom environment is a dirty secret,” said John Lyons, a former U.S. Department of Education facilities director. He could have been talking about some classrooms at Starr’s Mill High School. A mold and mildew problem has been a growing concern for teachers, students and administrators since last spring. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s indoor air quality division, mold-infested air can lead to nausea, headaches, reoccurring asthmatic problems and absenteeism. Dr. Cynde Snider, who teaches English, is allergic to mold. Last year she suffered respiratory problems after breathing mold-infested air. Snider’s doctors told her she could not return to her classroom until the mold was removed. She was put on a respiratory medicine and two inhalers. “There was mold on my book shelves, the couch and posters on the wall,” said Snider. Mold infestations of that type, according to the EPA, should be cleaned using gloves, eye goggles, and a respirator. Snider decided to tackle the mold problem herself. She purchased and brought in an air purifier, a dehumidifier, and six Damp Rid buckets. Damp Rid draws the humidity out of the air. The bucket filled with brown and murky water. “When I cleaned off the air purifier intake vents, they were black,” said Snider. Mold has been a problem primarily on the 700 hall, but it has been found throughout the building. Teachers and students have complained of respiratory problems, watery, itchy eyes and headaches. Mike Satterfield, director of facilities for Fayette County Schools, believes that the main source of mold in the school is from not removing water that was not removed from carpets when they were cleaned during the summer. Carpets are usually cleaned twice a year by custodial staff. Satterfield said that whenever carpets are cleaned, the HVAC system stays on so that air is moving and mold will not grow. However, when the carpets were cleaned this past summer, this was not done, causing mold to grow on the carpets, walls, bookshelves, and ceiling tiles. Principal Sam Sweat said that mold growth caused by improper carpet cleaning methods was taken care of during pre-planning by the custodial staff. Another English teacher also affected by the mold was Maggie Walls, whose room is across the hall from Snider’s. The mold had practically taken over one side of her room. “The mold was growing up the wall and into the bookshelves and on books,” Walls said. Most of the mold has been cleaned up now, but found were several books that had mold growing up the spine. Walls also happens to be allergic to mold. The source of mold for the building not only lies in the improper cleaning of the carpets but in the growth of mold in the HVAC system itself. Sweat said the custodial staff was paid overtime to clean it up. Department heads were instructed to look for mold in their department’s rooms and corridors. County maintenance personnel were sent out to remove molded ceiling tiles. About 50 in all were taken out; the crew, Michael Joseph and Jeffery Woolf, only took out tiles that had visual mold. “There are some that will get your attention,” Joseph said. The removal of these molded tiles and the wiping down of surfaces only masks the problem. “All we are doing is removing the tiles. We’re not taking care of the problem,” Joseph said. The source of the problem, according to Joseph, is leaky valves that run above the ceiling all through the hallways. Satterfield said that Facilities Services has no specialized crews to address mold-related issues. “There are companies in the private sector that can be brought in if needed,” Satterfield said. Satterfield said that mold-related issues are monitored on a daily basis. The old Fayette County High School, now serving as Whitewater High School with only a freshman class, had mold caused by leaky roofs. Several years ago Facilities Services replaced the roof, ceiling tiles, and the carpet, and since then the school has not had any significant mold problems, Satterfield said. Rising Starr is reporting problems with mold as students and teachers have complained of symptoms similar to ones at Starr’s Mill. Daily maintenance may seem to be key in containing mold, but according to a survey by the American School and University Magazine, school maintenance budgets have decreased for the sixth year in a row. Satterfield said, however, that no budget cuts imposed on Facilities Services have hindered maintenance operations in the county. Fayette County Facilities Services and the administration of Starr’s Mill are very concerned about mold problems in our school, Sweat said. Satterfield recommend that students or teachers who have problems with mold should report those problems to the school administration. [Taylor DeBartola, Class of 2006, is a staff writer for the student newspaper at Starr’s Mill High School. This first appeared in The Prowler.] e Fayette County Public Library, phone 770-461-8841.
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