Lucas County youth treatment site shut to clean mold

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Lucas County youth treatment site shut to clean mold

Toledo Blade - Toledo,OH

By MEGHAN GILBERT

BLADE STAFF WRITER

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

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Lucas County's juvenile treatment center will remain shut down for

at least three weeks while efforts are made to remove suspected

black mold from the building, officials said.

The 34 residents of the Lucas County Juvenile Court's Youth

Treatment Center were removed Wednesday night from the building at

225 11th St., and most have been relocated to two vacant wings, one

each for the male and female residents, in the Lucas County Juvenile

Detention Center.

A few were taken to Wood County's juvenile detention center, said

Mann, a spokesman for Lucas County.

The suspected black mold was found during routine maintenance at the

treatment center May 10, when workers painting a wall in a room on

the third floor noticed water damage. They pulled away the drywall

and found what appeared to be black mold, Mr. Mann said.

A sample was sent for testing, and early results came back Monday.

County and state officials evaluated the report and decided about 5

p.m. Wednesday to close down the center, he said.

The center began evacuating youths about 9 p.m. Wednesday, Mr. Mann

said.

While the problem is fixed, the youth treatment center will work out

of a separate area of the detention center, and the two will remain

independent of each other, said Cubbon, Lucas County juvenile

court judge.

The juvenile treatment center is an alternative lockup for youths

convicted of felonies and committed to the Ohio Department of Youth

Services.

The detention center, on the other hand, is a holding facility for

juveniles who are accused of crimes and are awaiting trial or

sentencing.

Neither facility should be disturbed during the cleanup of the

treatment center, the judge said.

It has not been determined if it was black mold that was found in

the wall, but the health concerns were enough to lock down the

building, Mr. Mann said.

Stachybotrys chartarum, or black mold, is a greenish-black mold that

grows on material such as fiberboard, paper, dust, and lint.

Constant moisture is required for it to grow, and it often appears

in areas where there is water damage, excessive humidity, or

flooding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention.

All molds should be treated the same and removed because of

potential health risks, the CDC says.

The next step for the youth treatment center is for a hazardous

materials crew to evaluate the extent of the problem, and then a

public bid will be sent out for a cleanup crew.

Officials will further investigate the building to make sure there

are no other mold concerns and fix what caused the fungi in the

first place, Mr. Mann said.

Contact Meghan Gilbert at:

mgilbert@...