Mold surfaces at Northern Elementary

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December 17, 2002

Mold surfaces at Northern Elementary

TIM GRACE, Journal Register News Service

LINCOLN -- Moisture and mold problems at Northern Elementary are making

students and teachers at the school sick, according to members of the

Northern School Improvement Team.

" It's a pit there. It's an absolute pit. I don't think any of you would be

healthy there, " said Northern's SIT co-chair and registered nurse

Cesare in her presentation to the School Committee last night.

Despite a recent study of the air quality at Northern -- a study that

revealed no threatening levels of mold, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide or

airborne debris -- teachers and students continue to report respiratory

problems, according to the SIT presentation.

Newbury, one of Northern's two school nurses, said she polled 20 of

the school's teachers on their frequency of respiratory problems in the

spring. Of those 20, Newbury said 15 reported having sinus infections, 13

had experienced chronic respiratory problems, nine had bronchitis and three

had come down with pneumonia.

" (Teachers) say they go outside and it feels better, " Newbury said.

Because of student confidentiality rules, Newbury said she had not polled

students but said she could theoretically gather the information for

comparison purposes.

For more than a year, teachers and parents have been complaining about the

school's air quality, particularly in a recently added basement-level

classroom. But it was when one of the teachers tested positive for the

presence of a toxic mold that the school administration took action,

authorizing Occuhealth Inc. of Mansfield, Mass., to take a closer look at

the school's air.

Though some high levels of moisture, dirt and debris were found, researchers

found the overall air quality to be good.

But Cesare said the testing method used and conditions at the time of the

test may have made the air seem cleaner than it really is.

In-classroom ventilators, not typically left on during the school day due to

noise, temperature and dust concerns, were allowed to run " 24-seven for

seven to 10 days " before researchers conducted their testing, according to

Cesare.

On recommendation of the researchers, the ventilators are now being used

throughout the day.

And one of the lower-level classrooms, a room that contained high levels of

mold and humidity during testing, is no longer being used as a teaching

space.

Dehumidifiers are also being used in the basement level classrooms to combat

what, according to Cesare, is a serious moisture problem, a solution

Manville committee member Lucille Mandeville called a " Band-Aid solution. "

Cesare identified four steps she said should be implemented immediately to

address Northern's air quality issues.

First, she called for the school administration to authorize an engineering

assessment of the building to determine where the water is coming from. " If

you don't get rid of the water, you don't get rid of the mold. It's that

simple, " she said.

Second, Cesare asked that an additional janitor be assigned to the building.

Third, she requested permission for SIT to coordinate with the town's health

and safety commission and new facilities director. Fontaine, the

former facilities director, was to be replaced yesterday by Angelo Mencucci,

though the committee vote to accept Mencucci had not been taken as of

deadline.

Fourth, she asked that the committee continue efforts to obtain funding for

an occupational physician.

Cesare also asked that a " super clean " of the building, a step called for in

the Occuhealth report but never carried out, be conducted over the winter

break.

The committee voted unanimously to start work on commissioning an

engineering study to find the source of the water problem.

Though the study would be an unbudgeted expense, committee member

Iannelli felt the urgency of the need would outweigh any short-term

financial concerns. " We must have money somewhere for technical surveys, "

she said.

©The Call 2002