Indoor Air Quality Concerns

September 2, 2008

WKBN 27 Youngstown*

by Dan

About a week ago, Lawrence County Adult and Juvenile Probation

workers reported trouble breathing, and other symptoms that would

point to possible mold, mildew and poor air quality or circulation

in their building.

" Respiratory issues, you know, stuffiness, headaches, there were

some rashes, some skin problems. " , says Steve Craig, Chairman of the

Lawrence County Board of Commissioners.

Complaints were confined to the basement of the building, right

across the street from the Courthouse. Initial reports show NO

toxic levels of mold or spores. Commissioners walked through again

Tuesday morning after crews took the holiday weekend to air things

out. Craig says,

" And clean, deodorize and sanitize all the carpets, the air vents,

and all the hard surfaces in the building, especially paying

attention to the furnace room, the air handling units. "

Air quality samples are still being tested, and Craig says engineers

from Eckles Architects will be in the building this week to do some

more investigating.

" They're going to be looking at the circulation patterns of the air,

making sure that there's enough air flow coming in to the building,

that there's air being exhausted out of the building " , says Craig.

The structure itself is already smoke free, and Craig says the

entire campus will follow suit in the coming weeks.

" So they can't open their windows and get fresh air. Well that's

all going to change here in about a week, because you're not going

to be allowed to smoke anywhere on these grounds, and that's one of

the reasons, because that air then gets pulled into the building. "

For now it's back to business as usual. Craig says, as far as he

knows, no one has called in sick or missed work because of the air

quality concerns.

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