High carbon-dioxide levels at Harlan school

[Guest guest]

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/4246108.htm

Wed, Oct. 09, 2002

High carbon-dioxide levels at Harlan school

Testing conducted after illnesses last year.

By Kilbane

of The News-Sentinel

Building-maintenance workers are taking apart and adjusting every

ventilation unit in Harlan Elementary School after new tests found excessive

carbon-dioxide levels in nine classrooms.

East County Schools also will buy a meter to monitor carbon-dioxide

levels at Harlan and other district schools, said Barry Gerig, EACS director

of facilities.

" We are doing all we can, and we're going to be proactive about this, " Gerig

said.

The action was prompted by indoor air-quality testing done Sept. 16 by the

Indiana Department of Health. The results, which were released Monday,

showed nine of 11 rooms tested at Harlan contained carbon-dioxide levels

higher than the recommended maximum.

Two rooms contained twice the recommended limit of carbon dioxide, and two

other rooms contained nearly that amount, a state health official said.

Several of the rooms had slightly elevated carbon-dioxide readings during

testing in June.

Excessive carbon-dioxide levels can cause drowsiness, lack of concentration

and headaches.

The state tested Harlan at the request of the Fort Wayne- County

Department of Health. Local health officials began checking into possible

air-quality problems at Harlan after several parents reported their children

suffered serious respiratory illnesses last school year.

The school at 12616 Spencerville Road has 465 students in kindergarten

through grade 6.

Students' health problems last year included recurring ear infections,

stomachaches, headaches and difficulty breathing, parents said. One child,

Kayla s, 11, missed more than two months of school, including a

seven-day hospital stay.

s' parents moved her to Lakewood Christian School this year instead

of sending her back to Harlan. She has not had any health problems so far,

and has stopped using her allergy and asthma medicine, said her mother,

s.

" If the numbers are that high (for carbon dioxide), it puts no doubt in my

mind that a lot of my daughter's illness was caused by the school building, "

s said.

People exhale carbon dioxide as they breathe. The gas can build up indoors

if a ventilation system does not draw in enough fresh air from outdoors.

Carbon dioxide levels are considered a problem indoors when they exceed the

level in outside air, plus 700 parts per million, said H. Ruyack, the

state health department's manager of indoor and radiologic health.

During testing Sept. 16, carbon-dioxide readings inside Harlan Elementary

should not have exceeded 1,146 parts per million, Ruyack wrote. But nine

rooms exceeded that limit, posting readings of 1,367 ppm in Room 302 to

2,561 ppm in Room 104.

The other rooms tested - the school office and Room 215 - contained safe

levels.

Test results also showed a slight problem with humidity levels in the rooms.

Relative humidity ranged from 60 percent to 66 percent in nine rooms. The

results are lower than during tests conducted at the school in June, but

they remain slightly above recommended levels.

To prevent mold growth, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the

American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers

recommend indoor air be kept at 30 percent to 60 percent relative humidity.

Work now being done on ventilation units in every Harlan Elementary

classroom should correct air-quality problems, facilities director Gerig

said.

EACS building-maintenance staff will reset controls so each unit brings in

more outdoor air, eliminating carbon-dioxide buildup, Gerig said. All units

should be adjusted by Oct. 18.

The school district also will buy a carbon-dioxide meter so it can monitor

levels at Harlan, he said. Gerig also plans to test carbon-dioxide levels at

other EACS schools that use the same heating-and-cooling system -

Cedarville, New Haven and Village elementaries and New Haven Middle School.

" We don't have any reason to think we have other problems, " he said. But

after seeing the test results at Harlan, he plans to make sure.

[Guest guest]

High CO2 levels are not a health threat but an indicator of

ventilation rates and efficiency. A bedroom with two adults and a

closed door will commonly have CO2 levels of 2,500 ppm during the

night. EPA cautions not to exceed 5,000 ppm for 8 hours. Increasing

ventilation rates is great except under the following conditions.

The relative humidity is already high at +60%. Increasing the

ventilation will increase the relative humidity when its wet

outside. When it rains outside for a week, more ventilation will

make the inside more humid. The testing that we have done in schools

show 80-90% relative humidity on the cool indoor surfaces of a

school. This an ideal mold growing condition. More ventilation of

wet outsidew air makes it more humid inside. Does it rain in FT

Wayne? Keeping the indoor relative humidity below 50% is much

important than reducing the 1300 ppm CO2. Putting 30 people in a

classroom and adding 400 cubic feet of fresh air ventilation requires

30 gallons of dehumidification per a nine hour day day. Most schools

can not afford the system or the operating cost to avoid high

humidity during the extreme conditions.

An alternative is to have enough dehumidification to dry the school

down to -50% RH during the evenings and weekends. These kinds of

systems cost $1 per square foor and operate for about $.10 per square

foot for the year. Keeping the relative humidity low for 8 hours per

day stops mold from growing for a reasonable investment and operating

cost. More important, our teachers and students are protected.

> http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/4246108.htm

>

> Wed, Oct. 09, 2002

>

> High carbon-dioxide levels at Harlan school

> Testing conducted after illnesses last year.

> By Kilbane

> of The News-Sentinel

>

> Building-maintenance workers are taking apart and adjusting every

> ventilation unit in Harlan Elementary School after new tests found

excessive

> carbon-dioxide levels in nine classrooms.

>

> East County Schools also will buy a meter to monitor carbon-

dioxide

> levels at Harlan and other district schools, said Barry Gerig, EACS

director

> of facilities.

>

> " We are doing all we can, and we're going to be proactive about

this, " Gerig

> said.

>

> The action was prompted by indoor air-quality testing done Sept. 16

by the

> Indiana Department of Health. The results, which were released

Monday,

> showed nine of 11 rooms tested at Harlan contained carbon-dioxide

levels

> higher than the recommended maximum.

>

> Two rooms contained twice the recommended limit of carbon dioxide,

and two

> other rooms contained nearly that amount, a state health official

said.

> Several of the rooms had slightly elevated carbon-dioxide readings

during

> testing in June.

>

> Excessive carbon-dioxide levels can cause drowsiness, lack of

concentration

> and headaches.

>

> The state tested Harlan at the request of the Fort Wayne-

County

> Department of Health. Local health officials began checking into

possible

> air-quality problems at Harlan after several parents reported their

children

> suffered serious respiratory illnesses last school year.

>

> The school at 12616 Spencerville Road has 465 students in

kindergarten

> through grade 6.

>

> Students' health problems last year included recurring ear

infections,

> stomachaches, headaches and difficulty breathing, parents said. One

child,

> Kayla s, 11, missed more than two months of school,

including a

> seven-day hospital stay.

>

> s' parents moved her to Lakewood Christian School this year

instead

> of sending her back to Harlan. She has not had any health problems

so far,

> and has stopped using her allergy and asthma medicine, said her

mother,

> s.

>

> " If the numbers are that high (for carbon dioxide), it puts no

doubt in my

> mind that a lot of my daughter's illness was caused by the school

building, "

> s said.

>

> People exhale carbon dioxide as they breathe. The gas can build up

indoors

> if a ventilation system does not draw in enough fresh air from

outdoors.

>

> Carbon dioxide levels are considered a problem indoors when they

exceed the

> level in outside air, plus 700 parts per million, said H.

Ruyack, the

> state health department's manager of indoor and radiologic health.

>

> During testing Sept. 16, carbon-dioxide readings inside Harlan

Elementary

> should not have exceeded 1,146 parts per million, Ruyack wrote. But

nine

> rooms exceeded that limit, posting readings of 1,367 ppm in Room

302 to

> 2,561 ppm in Room 104.

>

> The other rooms tested - the school office and Room 215 - contained

safe

> levels.

>

> Test results also showed a slight problem with humidity levels in

the rooms.

>

> Relative humidity ranged from 60 percent to 66 percent in nine

rooms. The

> results are lower than during tests conducted at the school in

June, but

> they remain slightly above recommended levels.

>

> To prevent mold growth, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

and the

> American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Engineers

> recommend indoor air be kept at 30 percent to 60 percent relative

humidity.

>

> Work now being done on ventilation units in every Harlan Elementary

> classroom should correct air-quality problems, facilities director

Gerig

> said.

>

> EACS building-maintenance staff will reset controls so each unit

brings in

> more outdoor air, eliminating carbon-dioxide buildup, Gerig said.

All units

> should be adjusted by Oct. 18.

>

> The school district also will buy a carbon-dioxide meter so it can

monitor

> levels at Harlan, he said. Gerig also plans to test carbon-dioxide

levels at

> other EACS schools that use the same heating-and-cooling system -

> Cedarville, New Haven and Village elementaries and New Haven Middle

School.

> " We don't have any reason to think we have other problems, " he

said. But

> after seeing the test results at Harlan, he plans to make sure.