The Center for School Mold Help

This section offers extensive school mold-related facts and stats.

View scores of Frequently Asked Questions regarding mold in schools.

This section offers mold education multimedia resources, available online.

This section is for school administrators and school board members, who are key people who can be instrumental in helping solve school mold problems in a manner that truly protects the occupants. Parents and teachers may be interested in the tools available within this section.

This section contains the TX Tech Glossary of Fungi related to IAQ investigations, with citations, provided by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

"In this reference guide for fungi we have listed all the fungal species we are aware of that are associated with indoor air quality investigations and more. Please note however, that this reference guide does not cover every known fungal species.

This reference guide for fungi is slightly different than some of the other very good fungal glossaries on the web. We have included detailed references and corresponding abstracts that relate to allergenicity, toxicity and fungal infection for all fungi listed." Dr. David C. Straus

View close to 100 compelling scientific studies, abstracts, and articles related to mold and health and school mold.

The following research provides readers with key findings that are highly relevant to understanding the potential impact of mold on human health. Victims of mold exposures will recognize the symptoms that can be so debilitating.

Some of the most compelling, recent studies on mold are featured here - revealing these biotoxins to be far more harmful than the minor allergen doctors previously understood them to be.  Please see our Internet Links page on this site for more studies like these. We are honored to have the support of a number of these researchers, who truly care about school children and the staff who suffer in mold-ridden schools.

There are literally millions of teachers and other school employees and students ill from their school environment - very often, from mold and other agents in damp buildings. 20% of the American population is in schools, during any given week. Half of the American schools have poor indoor air quality, often from dampness and related problems. That's 10% of 300 million = 30 million, and 24% of them can't detox from mycotoxins (Shoemaker, 2004) = 7.2 million (estimated), at any given time (since the population cycles through, it is more, cumulatively - in fact, it is 24% of all people cycling through half of our schools - and most of our American population cycles through schools). During their schooling or work in schools, it is more likely than not that they will encounter an environmentally sick building. These illnesses can be chronic and last a lifetime, or cause death. So you see, environmentally sick employees and students are impacting the nation in a major way. The bottom line is that our nation's citizens are being made ill in our schools. This is a silent epidemic that is not being addressed by the CDC. This must stop! We ask that you help us educate the public about this very serious problem. (Susan Brinchman, Director, Center for School Mold Help)

Learn about how school mold tests are conducted, why some of the results may not reflect a sick building, self-testing information, and more.

If hidden or visible mold has colonized any part of the school building, established through visual inspection and/or mold testing, The Center for School Mold Help offers these links to assist in your remediation planning. Experts strongly encourage schools to utilize highly trained, experienced mold remediation professionals and to have consultation and testing with non-related firms that have an excellent set of credentials, references and experience. Experts further recommend that these be separate from the mold remediators to be used. Reminder: Agreement with our Disclaimer is required to view this section, as with the entire SMH website.

This section contains environmental law information related to damp buildings, mold, and school mold.

 For solutions to school mold:

1. Understand the problem of school mold is the first step. Visit our School Mold FAQ and Admin FAQ pages. Learn all you can from the Research and Internet Links pages, so you have a background of information upon which to understand the problem.

2. Visit our Getting Help page.

3. Visit our Remediation page.

4. Use of this site requires agreement with our Disclaimer, as the information on this site and any links is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for receiving medical, legal, or professional advice. 

Obtain information about chemical sensitivities (also called MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, CS), connect with doctors, support groups and more.

The following links have been selected to assist you in locating information related to definitions, prevention, identification, and remediation of school mold, as well as health issues related to mold that may impact children and adults.

The external links are intended to provide a range of opinions in order to further educate the reader. These external links provided do not necessarily represent the position of The Center for School Mold Help nor should their presence be considered an endorsement of any product or point of view. Ozone generating equipment has been linked with potential lung damage by the US EPA and is particularly not endorsed and the public is to be strongly cautioned. The Center for School Mold Help is not responsible for the content of external pages, however the work that has gone into the construction of these external pages is greatly appreciated, as they extend the content provided on this site.

The following are resources for teachers to develop lessons for their students about mold prevention and mold and human health. Please note that it is not safe for students to come into close physical or respiratory contact with molds. We believe that education is the key to providing healthy schools! If you have a favorite resource or lesson and would like to contribute it, or a comment about these resources, email us at info@schoolmoldhelp.org with your full contact information and permission to use, if applicable.