County disputes claim of danger from mold at Oak Ridge Elementary

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County disputes claim of danger from mold at Oak Ridge Elementary

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

By J. Ewing

Staff Writer

Greensboro News Record - Greensboro,NC,USA

Accompanying Photos

Neslon Kepley (News & Record)

Photo Caption: Oak Ridge Elementary School.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/06/17/article/county_disputes_claim_of_d\

anger_from_mold_at_school

The news conference came three days after K. May, a health and safety

consultant, told reporters and some concerned parents that mold at the school

was dangerous enough to close it permanently.

" None of her statements make any sense to me, " said Dr. Ward , medical

director for the Guilford County Department of Public Health.

May said she holds bachelor's degrees in public health and safety engineering

and nursing, and is also a former local, state and federal health department

inspector.

She said she was contacted by Oak Ridge parents and staff. They provided her

with copies of the district's reports on the school, which she reviewed before

coming to her conclusion. May said she is not being paid.

May did not return calls Monday for comment.

Mold has been found several times in the building — as recently as this week —

since it underwent major renovations and new construction in 2005. It was

shortly after that work was completed that the complaints began.

However, said mold is not causing employees and students to report

illnesses ranging from headaches and nosebleeds to fatigue.

" At no time has mold posed a danger to any person in this building, " he said.

Instead, believes a lack of properly regulated fresh air in the

building could be causing most of the reported symptoms.

is basing his theory on results from a survey taken by about half of

all students and employees. Many of the employees surveyed said they felt better

when they opened windows and doors. said many of the reported symptoms

are similar to suffocating, which would explain why people felt better after

fresh air was introduced.

said he has never heard of, nor seen reputable medical research behind,

much of the information being spread among parents and teachers. That includes

the idea of mold poisoning.

Amy Pritchett, a parent of two Oak Ridge students, said she and other parents

don't know who to believe.

" There's such a lack of trust " with county officials, Pritchett said. " I'm

trying so hard to believe and buy into what they're saying. "

Pritchett said she isn't sure if she agrees with May or , but she is

glad the issue is finally getting attention.

Pritchett would also like to hear from authorities outside the county on the

matter. She could soon get her wish.

The school system will hire a national facilities maintenance firm to evaluate

the school heating and air-conditioning system. The district used local firms

previously and found no serious issues. However, complaints of illness have

persisted and school officials want to take the investigation to " a higher

level. "

Schools officials have requested assistance from the National Institute of

Occupational Safety and Health, a government agency under the umbrella of the

Centers for Disease Control. The school system has also sought help from the

Environmental Protection Agency.

Beginning today, the school will be closed to everyone except health officials.

The school's principal and other school administrators will be relocated over

the summer.

School officials are also working on a plan to place Oak Ridge students

elsewhere.

County commissioners Chairman Melvin " Skip " Alston said the commissioners are

prepared to pay for whatever repairs are necessary.

" Any assistance or funding they need we will be there for them, " he said. He

also said the community must trust the experts involved.

The school system reports spending more than $600,000 addressing mold and other

issues at the school so far. The school board voted earlier this month to set

aside nearly $500,000 in the 2009-10 budget to address any future issues.

Contact J. Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@...

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DocFJune 17, 2009 - 8:05 am EDT I know that the buildings at Oak Ridge

Elementary School have dampness issues. The site is poorly graded and water

tends to flow toward, rather than away from the buildings, especially the new

classroom building.

That being said, I think anyone who wants to accept K. May's opinions as

fact needs to do a Google search on her. It quickly becomes apparent that she is

not the neutral authority she claims to be, but is a person with an agenda. This

hardly makes her a credible witness. In a very brief search, I found four other

cases where she reaches exactly the same conclusion.

Reply to this comment EGParentJune 17, 2009 - 8:40 am EDT Lack of fresh air and

the new dehumidifier removing all moisture from the air can definitely cause all

of the symptoms that are being reported. Having this problem in my own home from

using a heat pump, we have found that if we turn on the heat everyone will get a

headache, stuffy nose, feeling ill, which will turn into a bloody nose if left

untreated.

We simply purchased " humidifiers " or crack the windows slightly in the winter to

help with this problem...In the summer, the humidifier alone is enough.

The air in a building can be TOO DRY....sometimes the simplest solutions are

overlooked...

Question is ...how many of our schools....DO NOT have a mold problem of some

kind.

This cannot be a unique problem to Oak Ridge Elementary..

Reply to this comment kamoore28June 17, 2009 - 3:33 pm EDT How can mold not be

part of the problem? They have found mold of some type under the carpeting of

the classrooms and other areas of the school. I will concede that the

ventilatiom system is part of the problem as well, but you do not find mold in a

school and say mold is part of the problem as well. Additionally, due to the

lack of maintenance at other schools particularly schools with leaky roofs will

be facing these same issues if the much needed repair is not done. It does not

make sense what the school system is reporting as the problem for Oak Ridge

Elementary especially since GCS conceded mold was found under the carpeting and

the carpeting had to be removed and the flooring was going to have to be

replaced over the summer. Also, before any more money is shelled out that they

obviously do not have they need to be very sure of the problem or problems and

the solutions to those problems.