Kane keeps tabs on mold legislation

April 29, 2005

FROM STAFF REPORTS

GENEVA — Mold in buildings has been big news in Kane County since it

first hit St. East High School more than seven years ago.

That's why Fred Carlson, environmental health director for the Kane

County Health Department, is keeping tabs on how the General

Assembly is approaching the situation. Carlson told members of the

county board's public health committee this week that legislation

regulating mold is making its way through the General Assembly.

The legislation is based on three main recommendations that came

from a House and Senate joint task force on mold last year. Carlson

said Kane officials agree with the three main recommendations.

They are:

• ‚State licensing of any business involved in the remediation of

mold.

• ‚State or independent certification of any laboratories performing

tests on mold.

• ‚Declining to establish a standard for how much mold in a building

is considered acceptable.

Carlson said neither local health departments nor the Illinois

Department of Public Health have sought to establish a standard

because the goal should be to eliminate all mold. He said there is

no acceptable level " because we all react differently to the mold. "

As for licensing businesses involved with removing mold, Carlson

said that would have been handy in the St. Community Unit

School District 303 situation " with the parade of contractors " the

school board went through while trying to get the high school

building fixed.

4/29/05

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