Better safe than sorry in District 95

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Better safe than sorry in District 95

Chicago Daily Herald - Chicago,IL*

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=186181 & src=

Indoor air quality surveys, toxic mold, flood prone buildings, less

than " fair " condition of school buildings… all terms we have been

reading and talking about since August 2007.

What do these issues have to do with our children's health in our

school buildings? We believe everything!

Many things affect the air quality in a building. Among them are

effective maintenance procedures, the efficiency of ventilation

systems, the control of indoor humidity levels and proper monitoring

of cleaning chemicals. The bottom line is that mold testing cannot

show that a building is " safe " or show that adverse health effects

will or will not occur.

That being said, Illinois Department of Public Health doesn't even

recommend mold testing. They recommend finding and stopping sources

of moisture (leaky windows and roofs) and then doing a proper

cleanup following United States Environmental Protection Agency

guidelines.

They further recommend addressing the ventilation system in the

building once the moisture problems are stopped and any mold growth

is properly remediated. Additionally they recommend following the

EPA's " Tools for Schools " program, available free to all school

districts. This program addresses hands-on monitoring of ventilation

systems, general maintenance, use of cleaners, identification of

moisture problems and other factors that can affect indoor air

quality.

Schools not following EPA and ILDPH air quality guidelines may

result in aggravated allergies and asthma among other illnesses.

Indoor air quality is currently not regulated by any governmental

agency. These are our issues!

Our district has recently released results of new mold testing

(April 2008) done at May Whitney but have not addressed the quality

of the ventilation system, humidity levels and/or maintenance

procedures in place at May Whitney.

Together with State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr., we are asking you to

please sign our petition respectfully requesting Lake Zurich Unit

District 95 officials to conduct an open public hearing on potential

health concerns pertaining to indoor air quality and dampness at May

Whitney School.

At this hearing we would like the superintendent, the District 95

board of education, a representative from the EPA, a representative

from the ILDPH and the Healthy Schools Campaign, as well as the Rep.

Sullivan (moderator) to be available to allow members of our

community to have an opportunity to express any concerns.

Please sign the petition by going to our Web site at

95.nomoldleftbehind.com. The petition can also be found throughout

our community at local establishments. As one supporter wrote, " I

think it is better to be safe than sorry and investigate this

potential problem, thanks. " No, thank you. We could not agree more.

Carolyn Fitzgerald

Virginia

No Mold Left Behind 95