"All authorities, including those who question the evidence for health damage from exposure to mold and to water-damaged environments, recommend avoidance of such environments, correction of the causes, and remediation of indoor mold and other microbial growth."(Umbach and Davis, CA Research Bureau, 2006)
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Better safe than sorry in District 95
District 95, in Illinois, has come under fire for taking a very defensive position with regard to the safety of its school buildings. Parents are dissatisfied with the information they are being given and want their children in schools that are healthy. This is the issue with the planned use of May Whitney's annex, an old building mothballed previously, with a rumoured swimming pool that has been covered up - to replace a school next door that had a flood and became moldy. From the frying pan into the fire? We think the parents have a right to ask questions and keep asking them till they are satisfied. (SMH)
Indoor air quality surveys, toxic mold, flood prone buildings, less than "fair" condition of school buildings… all terms we have been reading and talking about since August 2007.
What do these issues have to do with our children's health in our school buildings? We believe everything!
Many things affect the air quality in a building. Among them are effective maintenance procedures, the efficiency of ventilation systems, the control of indoor humidity levels and proper monitoring of cleaning chemicals. The bottom line is that mold testing cannot show that a building is "safe" or show that adverse health effects will or will not occur.
That being said, Illinois Department of Public Health doesn't even recommend mold testing. They recommend finding and stopping sources of moisture (leaky windows and roofs) and then doing a proper cleanup following United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
They further recommend addressing the ventilation system in the building once the moisture problems are stopped and any mold growth is properly remediated. Additionally they recommend following the EPA's "Tools for Schools" program, available free to all school districts. This program addresses hands-on monitoring of ventilation systems, general maintenance, use of cleaners, identification of moisture problems and other factors that can affect indoor air quality.
Schools not following EPA and ILDPH air quality guidelines may result in aggravated allergies and asthma among other illnesses. Indoor air quality is currently not regulated by any governmental agency. These are our issues!
Our district has recently released results of new mold testing (April 2008) done at May Whitney but have not addressed the quality of the ventilation system, humidity levels and/or maintenance procedures in place at May Whitney.
Together with State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr., we are asking you to please sign our petition respectfully requesting Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials to conduct an open public hearing on potential health concerns pertaining to indoor air quality and dampness at May Whitney School.
At this hearing we would like the superintendent, the District 95 board of education, a representative from the EPA, a representative from the ILDPH and the Healthy Schools Campaign, as well as the Rep. Sullivan (moderator) to be available to allow members of our community to have an opportunity to express any concerns.
Please sign the petition by going to our Web site at 95.nomoldleftbehind.com. The petition can also be found throughout our community at local establishments. As one supporter wrote, "I think it is better to be safe than sorry and investigate this potential problem, thanks." No, thank you. We could not agree more.
Carolyn Fitzgerald
Virginia Johnson
No Mold Left Behind 95
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Sort By: Oldest Newest1-2 of 2posted by hippieretired on Wed May 07, 2008 1:07 PM
I would like to know why this subject is still being pursued? The epa has said that their tests show that there is no mold in the school so why the problem? Seems like there are a few that wont accept any answer without short of tearing down the school and building a new one at the cost of the tax payers. I dont have or never had any children in the Dist 95 school district and every year my real estate tax keeps increasing with more money for Dist 95 schools. This year the increase was 975.00 just for the school dist. My house was just diagnosed with a bad mold problem due to the incompetence of a roofer who covered all the outdoor vents in the attic when they put on the new roof 6 years ago. Now I have to have a new roof put on from scratch at my expense and no one is comming to my aid. That 975.00 that I am wasting by giving it to the school district would come in handy to help pay for my new roof. I am living on a fixed income and have to take out an home equity loan so I can put a roof over my head because of mold and Rep Sullivan or any one else is not knocking at my door offering help.
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posted by NoMoreMold on Thu May 08, 2008 9:17 AM
The health of the community and region is at stake whenever there is a sick school - one that has an unhealthy, unsafe building. It is the responsibility of the government, including the school board and school district, to provide a healthy school for children to attend. We support this inquiry, which, in the future, will occur with every school in the country. It should not be a matter of finding a mothballed old building with mold to toss our children in, when another school building is moldy from a flood. If the school board and superintendent consistently neglect the buildings and are not open with the public about the condition of the buildings, it is then the responsibility of the public to install people in these positions who will be less defensive and more proactive. This will then save the public money in the long run. Many school districts just let the buildings decay and the public does nothing to monitor this. Go to www.schoolmoldhelp.org for information about damp school buildings, mold, and more!
