Mold tests to continue at Woodman Park School

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Mold tests to continue at Woodman Park School

's Daily Democrat - Dover,NH,

By JEREMIAH ROOD

Democrat Staff Writer

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DOVER — The school district will continue testing and monitoring the

air quality at Woodman Park School after teachers and parents

complained mold in the building made them sick last month.

The district measured the school's air quality twice — on May 2 and

3 — in a variety of locations throughout the building.

While tests for ultrafine particles such as dust showed levels

comparable or below outside levels, test results were mixed

regarding levels of mold, or fungal spores, in the building's air.

The May 2 test indicated some mold levels were well above those

outside the school and were a concern. The second day tests showed

levels well within acceptable limits.

" While it is difficult to explain the change in spore count levels,

it would appear that air quality in the various rooms are at what

would be considered a 'normal' level, " the test report said.

" Bear in mine that there are no standards for this type of

contaminant and 'normal' is being determined by comparing the

impacted areas to the inside and outside control samples. "

The inconsistency has also caused O'Connor to continue testing to

determine what the true levels are.

O'Connor plans on sharing these results with school staff later

afternoon.

O'Connor decided testing was necessary after a number of parents and

teachers complained the air in the building had made them sick.

School officials investigated and learned the details of an April 19

incident in which construction workers attempted to clean out light

wells in the basement, which are similar to skylights at ground

level.

Debris consisting of leaves, dust, dirt and anything else that had

collected in the wells over time were released into the air as

workers cleaned them, causing what school officials described as a

moldy odor.

" These light wells were cleaned out this morning and the compost

material was shoveled out, " wrote Woodman Park Principal

Boodey in a letter to parents following the April 19 cleaning. " The

compost did have an odor and the air vents at the bottom of these

light wells were also dirty. The odor did enter our bottom floor

causing some adults to feel ill, " the letter read.

School officials took steps to address the problem, including

sending some people home and relocating children on the bottom floor

to areas where there was better ventilation. The light wells and the

air vents were also cleaned with an anti-mold solution and the area

was ventilated using fans to circulate the air.

O'Connor also determined testing was needed.

The district is working to complete a $12.1 million renovation and

expansion plan for the 50-year-old building. The project will add

classrooms to the school for preschool and kindergarten, adding nine

new classrooms after programs and classes are realigned, bringing

the total number of classrooms up to 17.