Mold in classroom deemed harmless

[Guest guest]

Mold in classroom deemed harmless

Siskiyou Daily News - Yreka,CA,

By HEATHER DODDS

Daily News Staff Writer

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/articles/2007/05/10/news/doc46436b8163b5

5032947756.txt

YREKA – A special day classroom facility on Yreka High School's

campus was closed down on April 16 due to mold found above the

room's ceiling tiles, Siskiyou County Superintendent of Schools

Kermith Walters said.

After two inspections, it was determined that the amount of material

found in the classroom would not be harmful to occupants.

Walters said the mold was discovered by a YHS maintenance staff

member who was working on the classroom's ceiling at the time.

" We immediately sent a sample of the material to be inspected, "

Walters said. " When we heard back from the lab that it was mold, we

had the classroom shut down within half an hour. "

The mold was determined to be stachybotrys. Because the potentially

harmful toxins found in some molds exist as " spores " in the air

which can then be inhaled by those exposed to it, the Siskiyou

County Office of Education hired two firms to inspect the classroom.

Washerman, director of risk management for Keenan and

Associates, was one of the site's inspectors.

" In all of the air samples I took, not one had a spore of

stachybotrys – and that includes samples taken from above the

ceiling tiles where the material was found, " he said. " Technically,

there is no reason the county can't continue operating this

classroom. "

Washerman then described the air sampling process.

" We measure both the spores per cubic meter of air, and the species

of mold spores present, " Washerman said. He noted that there should

be a fewer number of spores indoors than out, and that the species

found in both samples should be relatively similar.

" Our results indicated that both readings were normal, " Washerman

said.

Washerman said the likelihood of mold in any building causing health

defects is minimal.

" The only way mold could be toxic is if every nook and cranny is

kicking out spores. Most people have more mold spores in their

bathroom than they do in their schools or places of work – they're

ubiquitous. "

Washerman said that a study performed in the 1990s that linked

stachybotrys to pulmonary hemorrhage in infants caused stachybotrys

to be considered " death mold " by the public.

" The study was unfounded, and was eventually refuted, " Washerman

said, " but the damage was done. Now that type of mold has a

misguided notoriety associated with it. "

Walters said that although the classroom wasn't affected by the

mold, the building will likely be replaced.

" We found out yesterday that we qualify for a modernization funding

for that building, " Walters said. " That building is almost 30 years

old, and was moved in as portable structure. Because it's a special

day classroom, it makes sense just to replace the building to fit

with the needs of our students. We're ready to move ahead with that

project. "

[Guest guest]

This a really disturbing news story.

So, they didn't address the root cause of the mold, and it sounds, didn't

even remove the ceiling tiles with stachybotrys growing on them?

I am curious what the other testing firm had to say. Why weren't they

quoted?

> The mold was determined to be stachybotrys. Because the potentially

harmful toxins found in some molds exist as " spores " in the air

which can then be inhaled by those exposed to it, the Siskiyou

County Office of Education hired two firms to inspect the classroom.

Washerman, director of risk management for Keenan and

Associates, was one of the site's inspectors.

" In all of the air samples I took, not one had a spore of

stachybotrys – and that includes samples taken from above the

ceiling tiles where the material was found, "

So, that means that the mold was happily growing away, and producing

mycotoxins...

Stachybotrys sporulates when it is dying..when it is drying out.

>he said. " Technically, there is no reason the county can't continue

operating this

classroom. "

Sacramento, we have a problem here...

WHY ISN'T THERE SOME KIND OF LAW AGAINST THIS?