Lake Cowichan school closed due to mould

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Lake Cowichan school closed due to mould

February 12, 2008

BCLocalNews - ,BC,Canada*

Swan-Lake Cowichan Gazette

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/15572937.html

On Tuesday morning only eight students showed up for classes at A.B.

Greenwell elementary school in Lake Cowichan.

Their parents had not received the emergency call that went out late

Monday night through the parents advisory committee telling them

that the school was closed the next day because of a serious mould

problem.

The school will be closed for the rest of the week while meetings

are held about where to send the students for school next week.

Dan Boudrealt, superintendent of schools, closed the school after an

emergency PAC meeting Monday night at the school to discuss the

results of a mould infestation study that A.B. Greenwell teachers

and PAC chair Lawson had received at a meeting earlier that

day.

The study was conducted by North West Environmental Group Ltd. of

on January 24 at the request of , head of

maintenance for School District 79, after she received a call from

trustee Diane Gunderson about the overpowering smell of mould in the

school.

Gunderson had been in the school to investigate reports of a

breakdown in one of the two furnaces. When she walked into the

building she was overwhelmed by the smell.

The report showed extremely high reading of aspergillus-penicillium

fungal mould. Readings above 500 parts per million are considered

the benchmark for alarm. In Room 126 of the school the readings were

8,440 parts per million. Rooms on each side of this area showed

2,540 parts per million and 588 parts per million.

According to the fungal glossary provided by North West

Environmental, aspergillus fungal mould spores produce mycitoxins,

which may be associated with disease in humans. Several toxins are

considered potential human carcinogens. Common cause of extrinsic

asthma (immediate-type hypersensitivity: type 1).Acute symptoms

include edema and bronchi spasms. Chronic cases may develop

pulmonary emphysema.

Lawson started the meeting by saying, " I'd like to say to them (the

school board) this is what we want you to do and this is how we can

help you. "

After two hours of bewildered and heated discussion in which

comments about why the problem had not been dealt with sooner and

suggestions to transport the entire school to the empty Yount school

in Youbou for the rest of the year until all air cleaning, carpet

replacement, drains under the infected area and perimeter drains

were in place, the projected deadline of which is August, 2008,

trustees Gunderson and e Sandhu, as well as District PAC

chair Schmidt phoned Boudreault to prevail upon him to close

the school the following day.

On Tuesday morning school board chair called a further

meeting in the theatre at Lake Cowichan secondary school, then went

to A.B. Greenwell to address concerned staff.

At press time Tuesday it has been reported by the school secretary

that the superintendent will be at a closed meeting of A.B.

Greenwell staff during the afternoon.