Mold meeting slated

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Mold meeting slated

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/082005/08112005/121123

Authorities plan meeting between students' parents, health officials

about mold concerns at Grafton Village Elementary.

Date published: 8/11/2005

By KELLY HANNON

Virginia Department of Health officials have agreed to meet with

parents concerned about mold at Stafford County's Grafton Village

Elementary.

A parent meeting has been scheduled at the school for Monday, Aug.

29, at 3 p.m.

R. Stern, director of the Rappahannock Area Health District,

will attend. The private company that recently tested the school's

air quality, Professional Service Industries Inc., will also be

there to answer questions, along with top school district

administrators.

Teachers and school staff will have a private meeting earlier in the

day.

After reviewing recent air-quality test results from Grafton

Village, Stern has said the school's level of mold does not present

a public health issue.

The level of mold inside the school was lower than outside levels.

Last week, Stern said tests showed the amount of mold inside the

building was similar to the amount of mold likely to be found in a

private residence.

Stern and several Health Department workers met yesterday with

Stafford administrators to discuss any health ramifications of the

test results. Stern affirmed his earlier statements.

" We're still confident in those feelings, " Stern said.

Highly sensitive individuals may have a reaction to low levels of

mold at the school, Stern said.

However, those individuals would also react to mold at other

locations, too--not just Grafton Village.

Stern asked Easton, a regional industrial hygienist with the

Virginia Department of Health, to look at the test results. Easton

previously worked as a senior industrial hygienist at the University

of Virginia for 21 years, assisting the school with its mold

concerns.

Easton told Stafford officials mold is everywhere, and people will

never be able to fully eliminated it from schools or any other

environment.

The key to safe schools is controlling a building's moisture, levels

of relative humidity, and making sure mold is not seen or smelled.

Although there is no official threshold for unsafe levels of mold,

Easton said an accepted amount is typically anything below 2,000

mold spores per cubic meter.

Grafton Village's test results showed levels of mold ranging from

about 28 to 102 spores per cubic meter.

PSI also tested for pesticides and herbicides. The company's report

showed " trace " amount of an insecticide, methyl parathion, existed

throughout the building.

But Easton said the amount found is far, far below the accepted safe

threshold amount recommended by the American Conference of

Industrial Hygienists.

" We really have no concern about those trace levels, " Stern said.

Easton advised Stafford to invest in equipment monitoring moisture

levels and humidity rather than conducting perpetual air quality

testing.

" Spend your money on maintenance, " Easton said. " And make it visible

and involve the parents. "

" We're not satisfied with just dealing with the cosmetic side of

this, " said Andre Nougaret, assistant superintendent of support

services. " We want to get to the systemic side of this, and get to

it fast. "

To reach KELLY HANNON: 540/374-5436khannon@...

Date published: 8/11/2005