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EPA official says mold at HISD school cause for concern

Elected leaders take a tour of Key Middle School

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5142952.html

EPA official: Mold expert needed at HISD school

By ERICKA MELLON

A director with the Environmental Protection Agency said he saw some

" potentially problematic " moldy areas at Key Middle School during a

brief tour Monday.

" There's some areas that look suspicious, and a qualified professional,

a mold expert, should look at them, " said Neleigh, who runs the

federal agency's environmental lab in Houston.

At the request of U.S. Rep. Sheila Lee, officials with the EPA

and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they will meet

with school officials and review whether more tests are needed at the

northeast Houston campus — where several employees and students have

reported ailments over the last three weeks.

Houston Independent School District officials repeated assertions

Monday that numerous air-quality tests show the 50-year-old school is

safe. And despite Lee's request, Superintendent Abelardo

Saavedra does not plan to relocate the staff and 600 or so students at

Key, said district spokeswoman Suarez.

Wearing masks

At the beginning of the tour, Lee placed a hospital mask over

her mouth and handed out masks to others.

" I'm not being dramatic, " the Houston Democrat said. " I just can't

afford to be sick. ... I think it's important to err on the side of

cautiousness. "

The school's principal, Mable Caleb, has been wearing a special

filtered mask for days. Her face has been swelling up, and her doctor

suspects she is having an allergic reaction to something, she said.

The tour included a stop in a counselor's office, where a bulletin

board showed several spots of what appeared to be mold. Demetrius

, the counselor, had placed an air filter near his desk.

" Yeah, I'm very concerned about my health, but we still have a job to

do, " he said.

on, HISD's general manager of facilities, said the

bulletin board would be removed later that afternoon.

" It was discovered on Friday and should have been gone, " he said.

No serious problems found

A private consulting company hired by HISD has found no serious air

problems after collecting 47 air samples since early September and

inspecting almost every space at the school on Friday. The

Woodlands-based company, ICU Environmental, Health & Safety, has done

work for other school districts, plus major oil companies and the

federal government.

Also Monday, the district received a letter from the Houston Fire

Department's Hazardous Materials Response Team that said the team found

no airborne chemical hazards during tests last week.

But since late August, at least nine teachers from Key have been taken

in ambulances to hospitals and seven janitors have gone to the

hospital. Most have reported difficulty breathing and watery eyes,

while others have experienced skin rashes, headaches and nausea.

A growing number of parents also have raised concerns that something at

Key is making their children sick.

After about 30 minutes at Key, Lee said she wasn't feeling

well. State Rep. Harold Dutton concurred after walking into a computer

room.

" I walked into this building, and my sinuses immediately did

something, " said Dutton, a Houston Democrat. " I don't know what it

was. "

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