"One study of an elementary school showed that if $8,140 had been spent over 22 years on preventive maintenance, $1.5 million in repairs could have been avoided. In addition, poor indoor air quality can contribute to the closing of schools, create liability problems, and strain relationships among parents, teachers, and the school administration." (Minnesota Dept. of Health)
Mt. Vernon, IL: Mt. Vernon Township High School mold
This school district, in Mt. Vernon, IL, appears to be addressing mold with bleach wipes used by the custodial staff. That really takes the cake, though it is far from funny to read about a school district that doesn't know how to remediate mold properly - potentially endangering the lives of its students and staff by so doing. What did they do with the carpeting? This has to be the worst "cheap fix" we have ever read about. (SMH)
MVTHS battling another mold problem
By TESA CULLI
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MT. VERNON — Mt. Vernon Township High School is still battling moisture problems in G Building, but this time, condensation created a film of mold in some of the classrooms.
“As far as we know at this time, the mold issue that existed before the beginning of the school year has been corrected,” MVTHS Superintendent Mike Smith said. “We have replaced the roof, which addressed the infiltration of water through the roof, and addressed the water coming in around the window panels. We have every reason to believe we can now move forward and that problem has been resolved.”
However, while the roof project is being concluded, several of the classrooms are without air conditioning, which has created a highly humid atmosphere in those classrooms and resulted in condensation on tables, desks, chairs, floors, walls and equipment.
“The air conditioning was on, then the air conditioning was turned off,” Smith said.
“Then there was no air circulation in those rooms, which contributed to what would appear to be a recurrence.”
Four to six classrooms were affected, and was further exacerbated by an air handling unit which malfunctioned. The thermostat controls have since been recalibrated by Honeywell, and the issue resolved, Smith said.
“Between readjusting the thermostat, the roof repairs and the ventilation units, we believe this was a one-time occurrence,” Smith said.
“It was not a reoccurrence of the mold issue we had before. This was surface mildew that was based on the condensation in those rooms ... which was directly related to those variables.
“There have been no reoccurrence of the mildew and it’s been several days since it happened. We’ll continue to keep an eye on it and see.”
Treatment of the mildew was done by maintenance staff at the high school, Smith said, who wiped down the surfaces in the classrooms with bleach wipes.
The Center for School Mold Help website has extensive information on the prevention and remediation of mold in schools, as well as a vast archive of mold & health articles. Visit us at www.schoolmoldhelp.org and prevent mold, for the future!
Posts: 5 | Location: La Mesa, CA | Registered: June 26, 2009
What "I" suggest to people, is NOT pay money, and subscribe to a mold 'information' website, when you can find much information for free.
Also, VISIT the school, and particularly G building. Much work has been done, and continues to be done DAILY, to ensure that every teacher, student, parent, and 'visitor', comes into a good, clean environment.
The headline is misleading.
Rest Awhile. Take time to ponder on man's intolerance toward others.
Our extensive Resources and world-class Fungal Glossary is available to the public. Check these out! We have gathered over 1700 articles on this topic and set up a location where one can easily learn about mold in schools, this is more convenient for many. Hope our free Resources help your community!
Posts: 5 | Location: La Mesa, CA | Registered: June 26, 2009
I must say that school districts often assign employees to post on websites to assure the public that their school is clean and safe, when in reality, the district may not be following the strictest guidelines for mold remediation. Sounds like we have one here.
Posts: 5 | Location: La Mesa, CA | Registered: June 26, 2009
One thing the article doesn't explain accurately, is how the moisture got there.
The a/c being off slows down the process of drying up the humidity. The cooler the air the less moisture is able to stay in the air. However, being hot doesn't create moisture in the air all by itself... They need to find the source or they will continue to clean mold and mildew from that building.
The fool ***h think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. Shakespeare
Posts: 4563 | Location: onthemove | Registered: June 15, 2007
Ignored post by Mykidsmom posted
August 25, 2009 18:06
The following information has been sent to hundreds of elected officials throughout the country.
I am writing to you on behalf of millions of Americans who have been harmed by exposure to toxic mold. The following message has been sent to hundreds of elected officials including President Obama, all U.S. Senators, members of the U.S. House, the Governors of all 50 states, state legislators, state health departments, etc.
Toxic mold causes serious health problems. We need your help to get laws passed in order to ensure that the American people can get appropriate medical care and the correct information regarding the handling and remediation of toxic mold. We need laws and regulations in regard to people who test and remediate mold in order to stop the fraud and deceit that has been occurring throughout the country.
For 50 years, the tobacco industry denied the truth about the health effects of tobacco. How long will the insurance industry and other stakeholders be allowed to deny the truth about the health effects of toxic mold? We need to expose the truth now and educate the public about the proper way to handle mold problems in our homes, schools and businesses. If your family was exposed to toxic mold, wouldn’t you want laws in place to protect your loved ones? This is all we are asking. We need your leadership and action on this very important issue.
The following information will give you a good place to start in understanding the issues that need to be addressed. These ten items are a very small sample of the thousands of documents available on this topic. I thought these items would be most helpful in your efforts to create new laws and regulations about mold-related issues. You might also review the mold legislation that was proposed by Representative John Conyers.
1. The following paper has an insightful discussion of whether mold contamination in homes can be regulated. “Can Mold Contamination of Homes be Regulated–Lessons Learned from Radon and Lead Policies”? The answer is YES.
2. The State of California issued mold remediation guidelines. This is one of the most up-to-date reports available. It contains references to several important articles about the health effects of toxic mold. The U.S. Navy also has mold remediation guidelines.
3. The State of Nevada recently passed legislation designating September 2009 as toxic mold awareness month, and the State of Arkansas passed legislation regarding standards and qualifications for mold investigators. You could use this information as a starting point for one part of your legislation, but you would want to get input from experts.
4. The U.S. Surgeon General just announced the federal government’s new Healthy Home Initiative which discusses mold and mold toxins, along with lead paint and radon, and other issues that can affect the indoor environment in homes.
5. The Center for School Mold Help has a lot of valuable information about mold in schools and also has an excellent article discussing how certain stakeholders are trying to hide the truth about the health effects of toxic mold. Another group, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, is focused on water damage and mold problems caused by construction defects.
6. There are many books available on this subject including these two books:
Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control” This book was published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists in 1999.
“Molds and Mycotoxins–Papers from an International Symposium” This book was edited by Kaye Kilburn, M.D. and was published by Heldref Publications in 2004.
7. James Craner, M.D., has published several good articles and reports on this topic, including “A Critique of the ACOEM Statement on Mold.” Another leading expert is Jack Thrasher, Ph.D., who is a toxicologist.
8. The following links are from military textbooks. The first one is Chapter 34 on Trichothecene Mycotoxins, and the second one is Chapter 4 on Toxins (which includes information about mycotoxins). If the U.S. military can admit that mycotoxins are dangerous, then why are the insurance companies allowed to deny that mycotoxins cause health problems.
9. The University of Connecticut published a handbook in 2004 titled “Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors.”
10. Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D., is one of the leading doctors in the country who are helping people who have been harmed by exposure to toxic mold. This is the link for Dr. Shoemaker’s website:
Toxic mold is a very serious health threat, and we need to do everything we can to help protect all Americans. I hope this information is helpful as you continue your work to develop laws and regulations about mold-related issues.
Posts: 1 | Location: Midwest | Registered: August 25, 2009
Ignored post by TruthAboutMold posted
August 25, 2009 21:17
The maintenance staff wiped off the surface mold with bleach wipes? This has to be the "cheapest fix" we have ever heard of - it does not meet any of the criteria for good remediation practice suggested by the industry or the gov't (EPA). Not to mention that this would not address the carpeting or porous materials in those rooms (ceiling tiles, paper materials, books). If done without sealing the environment using air cleaners and negative air, they would contaminate the rest of the building and spread the mold more. This is a potential example of a school district doing as it pleases, making up the rules for remediation to save money, while reassuring the public these rooms are safe. Let the public learn what good remediation techniques are - and check out what was actually done. Ask to see the steps of the protocol used, gain access to any testing, all of the documents associated. See what other parents have done in these cases. Be proactive. Do not trust that this school district is doing what they should, blindly. We see this happen time and time again, then the kids and staff get quite sick when things are not done right. www.schoolmoldhelp.org to inform yourselves.
Posts: 5 | Location: La Mesa, CA | Registered: June 26, 2009
