Health scare arises at Staples Elementary School

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December 19, 2002

Health scare arises at Staples

By DEREK DiFRONZO, --Editor

How serious are the air quality concerns at Staples Elementary

School? According to one Easton parent, both the students and staff may be

putting themselves in danger by staying in the building all day. The

parent, who wants to remain anonymous, said her daughter, a Staples student,

has become quite ill since early October when she had a severe asthma attack

and had to be rushed to the hospital.

In the past two months, the young girl has experienced respiratory problems,

chronic fatigue, headaches and stomach and joint pain. She is currently on

four forms of medication.

According to her mother, the condition of the Staples building may be

directly connected to her daughter's illness. The mother also claimed that

several teachers and students have had chronic health problems, and based on

past inspections of the school, she is concerned about the possible

existence of toxic mold.

However, according to school officials, an October inspection of potential

problem areas in the building found no mold on any of the samples that were

taken.

Last week, School Supt. Freeston acquired the Easton Board of

Education's approval to contract with Danbury Hospital Corporate Health Care

to evaluate individual employee health issues.

" Some employees have medical issues, which they think have to do with the

condition of Staples, " Freeston said. He said the evaluation would allow

school officials to provide some answers to the concerned staff members.

Freeston said he also is talking to Danbury Hospital Corporate Health Care

about filling the role of school medical advisor.

Dr. Judith Hochstadt, a pediatrician, has advised school nurses on student

health issues for many years at Staples. However, there has been no health

advisor for employees, he said.

" We're trying to acquire some medical expertise for our staff as we do our

students, " Freeston said.

In addition, Freeston sought school board approval to contract with Gil

Cormier of Occupational Risk Management, an industrial health consultant, to

investigate any air quality concerns or related issues.

Cormier is scheduled to walk through Staples and conduct air-sampling tests

before the end of the month.

In a memo sent to Staples staff members this week, Principal Charlotte Janis

said, " Hopefully, through all the testing that has and is being done, we

will either be able to allay the health concerns of our faculty members, or

we will be able to move forward in correcting anything that needs to be

corrected. "

According to Freeston, worried parents should be comforted to know that

everything possible is being done to maintain a healthy environment. He said

although there are a couple of families whose children are ill, there is

" not evidence it's connected to the condition of the building. "

At a recent meeting of the Staples Health and Safety Committee, Jay

Hubelbank, Region 9's director of finance and operations, said he spoke to

Michos, Easton's new health director, and Althea Falco, head of the

Easton Health and Safety Committee.

Michos has been reviewing concerns and said he plans to work with everyone

involved to ensure the health and safety of the school.

" [Michos] was pleased to hear that we're taking a proactive stance, "

Hubelbank said.

The school's facilities director, Ugo Celini, told committee members that

the building inspector brought to his attention that the boiler jacket has

asbestos in it, and there is a little pile of asbestos on the floor in the

boiler room.

A consultant from Industrial Health and Safety recently finished a triennial

asbestos inspection. Hubelbank said he is expecting to hear the results soon

and will report them to the Board of Education in January.

" We know we have asbestos in the building, " he said, " but it's protected. We

also know we have rooms with carpet, and under the carpet is asbestos tile. "

Hubelbank said he is investigating whether it will be necessary to remove

just the carpeting, which would cost less, or to remove the tiles. In either

case, the school board would have to seek approval from the Board of Finance

to pay for the removal.

On Dec. 10, Duct Clean (ventilation systems cleaning specialists) came to

the school to complete inspection of remote areas of ductwork for evidence

of water damage, corrosion and mold.

In its review, the company stated that the main complaint among staff

members was the temperature of the air in certain classrooms.

" The main complaint was that the air was too hot, " the report states. " It

should be noted that this might be a seasonal complaint due to the large

daily temperature swing and the need to adjust/repair system controls. "

A second complaint from staff members, according to Duct Clean

representatives, was the presence of musty odors. However, the company's

report says that no musty smell was evident on the day of the inspection.

The company reported that an emergency cleaning and sanitizing of the

ventilation systems didn't appear necessary based on the visual inspection.

On Oct. 23, Microb Phase Environmental, another consulting firm, conducted a

review of the building, including testing and surveys of the facility. Air

sampling was conducted in 14 rooms with six swipe or vacuumed samples taken

of carpets that were pointed out as a problem.

" In general, this building has serious housekeeping and appearance issues, "

states the Microb report. " The custodians when vacuuming may be doing the

job intended, but the carpets are so old and deteriorated the mere walking

on it is sending fibers and other matter into the air. "

Old shampooing practices have left too much soap and cleaning products in

the carpet, which attracts dirt, according to Microb.

The carpets are being held together in places with duct tape. The analysis

of carpets sampled detected a slight trace of fungal growth, which turned

out to be non-active producing floral.

The hallway between room 11 and the copy room was peeling due to a past

water leakage. The floor and wall were tested. The test indicated 4 percent

non-active microbial growth in the carpet and no growth in the wall.

" Outside the library, the walkway slants back into the building, funneling

water into the library, " the report states. " This should be corrected. " The

library and music room will always have a high moisture count until this

problem is fixed.

Celini said at the Staples Health and Safety Committee meeting that area

rugs with rubber backing will be placed under coolers to keep more tiles

from popping up due to water spillage at the water coolers. This will

contain moisture and keep it from the wall-to-wall carpets and tile, he

said.

Microb reported that the appearance of the building (stained ceiling tiles

and dirty carpets) creates the illusion of mold infestation.

" Are the carpets making everyone ill? The appearance alone could make anyone

ill, " the report states. " Are the carpets off-gassing anything? It may, but

it is not a microbial growth. "

The report continues, " The copy room at the lower end of the school may be

on the same air systems as the classrooms. Copy machines give off volatile

gases that create headaches, sinus problems, dry throat and flu like

symptoms, all similar to mold infestation. If the door to this room is left

open, its gases can enter into the air system and be filtered throughout the

building. "

Freeston recently notified the staff and administration that they shouldn't

use air cleaners in their classrooms unless authorized by Celini.

The reason, he said, is that many indoor air quality machines produce

hazardous levels of ozone, which may contribute to asthma and other

respiratory problems.

At last week's school board meeting, the board unanimously accepted a

parent's donation of an air purifier for the school.

An ongoing concern at Staples is the condition of the water. The problem,

according to Freeston, is that the pipes are old, plus a high content of

iron and manganese creates a discoloration.

Freeston said the water is tested regularly. " The water poses no health

hazard, but we're not expecting people to drink brown water. "

The state Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a consent order demanding

the school upgrade its water system to code, which would require new wells

and a new distribution system.

The Board of Education wrote the DPH earlier this year asking permission to

use bottled water for drinking, and to not replace the system due to the

fact that a new elementary school is being planned.

" If we weren't building a new school, we'd be required to pay to bring city

water into the building, " Freeston said. " All of these issues bring to mind

the urgency of building a new school. "

The anonymous concerned parent said the water also has a terrible odor and

has black slime in it.

Aqua Environmental Lab tested the water in April and reported that no odor

was present. However, a week prior to the test, R.J. Black & Son, Inc.

performed shock chlorination to the well, which is a temporary method to

improve the quality of the water.

©Easton Courier 2002