Tests find no elevated mold levels

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STARPOINT SCHOOLS

Tests find no elevated mold levels

The Buffalo News

By Westmoore - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU

Updated: 01/29/08

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/263186.html

PENDLETON — The air outside three of Starpoint's school buildings

contains a lot more mold than the inside air, according to samples

taken and analyzed Jan. 9.

Superintendent C. Whelan told the School Board on Monday the

district hired Indoor Air Professionals of Buffalo to test the air

after " some parents indicated to us that their kids were sick

because of mold in the buildings. "

" So we decided to do some screening for mold just to see if we had

high concentrations in our schools, and we apparently don't, " he

said.

Under the limited testing in Phase I, the company took air samples

in Starpoint High School, Starpoint Intermediate School and Fricano

Primary School and " found we didn't, according to how they did the

testing, " Whelan said.

Phase II, to be undertaken soon, will focus largely on Starpoint

Middle School.

A summation of the findings showed that the air in the schools had

far less than 300 spores per cubic meter, the amount devised by the

Building Science Investigations to determine whether mold

concentrations are high.

Analysis showed all 10 samples fell well below the 300 spores per

cubic meter mark, which means the concentrations are considered to

be low, Whelan said. The report shows the test readings ranged from

a low of 39 spores per cubic meter in the Intermediate School's

media center to a high of 240 in the boy's pool locker room.

He said the 11th test, which measured the outdoor mold concentration

in the air, came in at 199 spores per cubic meter, the second

highest only to the locker room reading, which still fell well below

the 300 spores per cubic meter mark.

Stanley Bierat and Annmarie Reeb, two residents, questioned whether

the testing was thorough enough. They said a radio program had

reported that swab tests — lifting mold contamination off such

surfaces as tables — would give a more accurate indication of the

actual mold concentration.

Admitting he is not an expert on the subject, Whelan said he would

have to ask Indoor Air Professionals for their opinion and whether a

more thorough brand of testing is called for. " We'll certainly look

into it, " he said.

He did say, " We have determined that the mold content in the air

outside the buildings is greater than the air inside them. . . . We

feel that the filtering systems within our fresh air intakes are the

cause of filtering that mold out. "

To Whelan, the spore screenings represent at least a bit of positive

news, since Starpoint officials have had to deal with complaints of

odors and suspected mold in the school buildings for several years.

pwestmoore@...