Why our schools are sick (Huntsville, AL)

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Why our schools are sick

Mold makes students, staff ill and creates expensive cleanup problems here

and nationally

10/20/02

By CHALLEN STEPHENS

Times Staff Writer challens@...

In the basement of Huntsville High School, Col. runs seven

dehumidifiers. Over the years, he's heard Junior ROTC cadets complain of

runny noses, watery eyes and other allergic reactions.

" They don't normally know what's wrong, " said. " I don't know that

the students know so much about the mold. "

A few black stains climb damp ceilings and walls here. Mold grew over the

driver's education simulators stored downstairs this summer. The spots have

been bleached, scrubbed and contained. But mold doesn't give up easily.

Across the country, from Nashville to Phoenix, mold and mildew are creating

million-dollar repair jobs, as school systems battle a growing battery of

respiratory complaints.

" In every school somewhere there is some mold, just like in your house, "

said Brown, who oversees maintenance for Huntsville City Schools. " The

issue is how much. "

Sometimes, mold can overtake a building.

Earlier this month, a Jefferson County middle school was shut down

temporarily after teachers and students came down with unexplained

illnesses. Workers there tried to reduce mold and mildew, which may have

caused some of the breathing problems, skin rashes and other reactions.

In some extreme cases, mold closed a school forever. That happened in

Portland, Maine, last year.

One of the first warning signs: black streaks by the air vent.

" That's not a health hazard as long as you keep it under control, " Brown

said.

Where mold comes from

Molds grow when moisture and oxygen are present. They cling to almost any

surface, from tile to carpet to wood to paper. The mold releases spores that

spread through the air. That's usually how mold comes into contact with

students and teachers.

Some are allergic to mold.

It can impair breathing and cause rashes when people are allergic. However,

some molds also produce acidic molecules that irritate mucous membranes in

most people.

And very rarely, schools encounter toxic mold. These potent strains have

been blamed for more serious health problems. Teachers in West Carollton,

Ohio, sued their school district last year, blaming the toxic mold for

memory loss and muscle cramps.

Medical research hasn't confirmed such effects. One study found toxic mold

is deadly to infants. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

rejected that study. Research on toxic mold remains thin.

Huntsville schools have never been sued over mold, said J.R. , the

city school board attorney.

There have been no reports of toxic mold in Huntsville or surrounding

schools, Brown said. Yet he remains vigilant.

Sick buildings

Several years ago, Carol Spencer remembers rinsing every library book at

Challenger Elementary School in Huntsville with diluted bleach.

That summer, mold covered the shelves, said Spencer, who is now the

librarian at Whitesburg Middle School. Most book jackets survived the rinse,

she said. Things were worse next door at Challenger Middle School.

" That was the sickest building I have ever been in in my life, " said Tom

Drake, who was principal at Challenger Middle from 1997 to 2000. " Water was

dripping off the walls. "

Twice teachers returned after summer break to clean green fuzz off books, he

said. School officials eventually fixed the air-conditioning system and

replaced the roof at Challenger Middle.

Now Drake is principal at Grissom High School. He's seeing some of the same

warning signs of mold. There are black spots and fuzz-covered books in the

science wing. The roof leaks.

Students with mold allergies complain, he said. So do some parents. Drake

has shuffled teachers to accommodate students. He's had custodians bleach

seats, walls and vents.

There's not much more he can do, he said. Some days, students go home sick.

" Most of the time they just tough it out, " Drake said. Maintenance knows

about the problem. But soon the heating system will dry out the building.

That should slow the mold for a few months.

" We'll survive with it, " Drake said, " but, good God, it's aggravating. "

Trapped moisture

There are several reasons mold prefers schools, said Sara Coley, an indoor

air-quality specialist for Mid-South Testing in Decatur.

First, schools are not used over the summer. That means the air conditioning

doesn't run enough to drain the air of moisture. The schools stay cool, but

floors and walls sweat.

Second, starting in the 1970s, schools were built to restrict air flow. As a

result, they are more efficient in preventing heat loss, but moisture can't

escape. The Environmental Protection Agency says this is a chief cause of

mold growth in U.S. schools.

The EPA also says problems at schools are not repaired as quickly as at

homes because of budget restrictions. Coley, who has looked for mold in

Madison County Schools, would agree.

" Sometimes you have to patch and repair, rather than fix something the way

you would like to do, " she said.

Also, Coley said, mold thrives on dirt and grime. Children track a lot

through school every day.

Finally, school buildings are often aging. As roofs age, they leak. Pipes

drip. There is a never-ending battle to keep the water out.

Green books and desks

The complaints don't stop.

Last year, teachers from Rolling Hills Elementary in Huntsville complained

about green spots on books and desks.

This summer, a parent from Madison County Elementary complained to the

school board about mold in her child's classroom.

Maintenance supervisors say both problems were cleaned and fixed.

" You can't beat bleach for killing mold, " Coley said.

Dilute it first, she said, maybe one part bleach for 10 parts water. Or, she

said, use one of the brand-name fungicides on the market.

" You've really got to stay on top of that, " said Madison County

Superintendent Ray Swaim, adding that custodians use chemical cleaners

weekly in county schools. " We've got that under control. "

In Athens, Brookhill Elementary School, plagued with mold since it opened 13

years ago, received a clean bill of health this year. Two years ago, it was

shut down while air ducts were replaced and carpet removed. Parents blamed

the mold for students' headaches, nausea and nosebleeds.

The school system spent about $1.5 million to fix the problem.

So far, efforts in Madison County have focused on prevention.

Huntsville City Schools started buying mildew-proof ceiling tiles last year,

said Brown, the maintenance chief.

School officials installed a staged air-conditioning system at Highlands

Elementary this summer. The new system has two compressors for each

classroom. The smaller compressor can't quite cool the room. When kids go

home, the big compressor cuts off, but the little one continues to run and

drain the air of moisture even when no one is in the room.

" It's knocking the snot out of the humidity, " Brown said.

There are similar systems at a few sites, Brown said, but many schools still

use old ventilation systems that allow the schools to sweat overnight and

during the summer.

The county is using microbiological air filters to contain the mold problem,

said Kerry Wilkerson, who oversees maintenance for county schools. The

county hires outside firms to test the spore count when mold is found, he

said.

" We've been real blessed we haven't had that problem, " Wilkerson said, " but

we're real watchful. "

A waiting game

For Col. , there's no hope in stopping the mold. Instead, he runs his

dehumidifiers and waits. The school board plans to break ground on a new

Huntsville High as soon as January.

" The fix is the new school, " said. " We've been saying that for

whatever number of years. "

It could be several years until the new Huntsville High opens. There is no

firm date. But there is little incentive to replace an outdated cooling

system at a school that's destined to be torn down.

" That system is just shot and worn out, " Brown said, talking about the

Huntsville High building. " Yeah, they have problems. "

Take 15 kids into the basement, he predicted, and one will have an allergic

reaction to mold.

" If you know what's in there, " he advised, " don't go in there. "