No mold found at Mariposa Elementary

August 19, 2005

By Margot Susca

staff writer

August 19, 2005

St. Lucie County schools

Fl.

An air-quality consultant found no mold at Mariposa Elementary

School in Port St. Lucie despite illness complaints from cafeteria

workers earlier this week, according to results of 19 air samples

released Thursday.

" No conditions were found which would be conducive to mold growth, "

consultant Althouse of Air Intellect wrote in his nine-page

report.

District officials sent Althouse to test the school after Mariposa's

cafeteria manager told school officials she visited the hospital

Monday with a sore throat and illness.

She had a bad reaction to glue used in her new desk and did not have

a reaction to mold, St. Lucie County School District spokeswoman

Ginger King said.

Other cafeteria workers complained about air quality, and remedies

have been implemented, including improving air flow in that part of

the school.

A fix at Mariposa costing more than $1 million is making it almost

impossible for mold to grow, King said.

The cafeteria manager's office, near where mold was found in the

walls last year, was tested, along with 18 other areas.

The School District struggled with mold and other air quality

problems after September's back-to-back hurricanes. Mariposa had

more complaints than any other district site, records show.

- margot.susca@...

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