Send us your mold-sickness bills

[Guest guest]

Thursday, June 9, 2005

School Board member says: Send us your mold-sickness bills

Soriano says district could pay them

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/227764_mold09.html

By JESSICA BLANCHARD

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Seattle Public Schools should pay the medical bills of students,

teachers and other employees who've been sickened from exposure to

mold or other environmental health hazards, School Board member

Sally Soriano said yesterday.

" It's a drastic measure for a drastic situation, " she said.

Soriano called for the public to seek reimbursement after becoming

convinced that the district is failing to adequately address health

concerns over mold and asbestos.

In the past year, problems with mold or poor indoor air quality have

surfaced at several schools, according to interviews and documents

obtained by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

District officials deny that any widespread problem exists, but

admit they need to respond more quickly to maintenance requests.

That was particularly true, the officials said, at Arbor Heights

Elementary in West Seattle. A monthslong water leak there created a

patch of mold in a crawl space under some classrooms.

Frustrated by the delays in fixing the problem, teachers filed a

complaint with the state Department of Labor and Industries in

April. The agency is investigating alleged workplace safety

violations.

District officials have said the mold problem at Arbor Heights is

minor and doesn't pose a threat to students or staff.

Mold doesn't typically pose a health risk to people, but prolonged

exposure to large amounts can be harmful, according to the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention.

Soriano, who has become something of a crusader for environmentally

healthy schools, said the district should assume financial

responsibility if any students or staff are sickened from exposure

to mold, asbestos, contaminated drinking water or other potential

hazards.

" I've been a director for a year and half, and I'd been told it was

a priority of the district to take care of health and safety, and I

haven't seen that happen, " she said.

" If parents and teachers stop being afraid to speak out, that's the

only way I think these issues will get taken care of. "

Soriano urged parents and teachers who had experienced health

problems to send copies of their medical bills to her, the district

and the news media.

Even if the district refuses to pay, going public will help bring to

light the number of people who were affected, and could ultimately

force the district to take the concerns more seriously, she said.

District spokesman s said yesterday there were no plans

to start paying medical bills.

" We certainly want to hear from any parents that have any concerns, "

he said. " We've always been open to talking with parents. ... But

it's just not district practice or protocol to say 'send in your

bills.' "

The district will continue to follow the advice of Public Health --

Seattle & King County, which has not deemed the Arbor Heights

situation serious enough to remove students or staff from the

affected classrooms, s said.

Despite that reassurance, some parents say they'd rather be safe

than sorry.

Arbor Heights parent Benita Buchanan has already made a doctor's

appointment for her daughter, a student in one of the classrooms

perched above the mold.

Her daughter has had a recurring cough that nothing, even

antibiotics, has cured, Buchanan said. She's not sure it's related

to the mold but thought it best to get it checked out.

" The hard part is you don't know, " she said. " It makes you wonder. "

Buchanan, though, has mixed feelings about asking the district to

foot the bill for medical tests.

District officials waited far too long to investigate the problems

at Arbor Heights, she said, and should be held liable for any

potential health claims that arise.

But Buchanan also realizes the district is in the midst of a

financial crisis, and noted that officials are now making good-faith

efforts to resolve the problem -- forming a task force and hiring an

independent expert to conduct air-quality tests.

" It sounds like, in our case, the district is finally doing the

right thing, " she said. " They're doing what they should have done

five or six months ago -- but better late than never. "

P-I reporter Blanchard can be reached at 206-448-8322 or

jessicablanchard@...