possible moldy classroom-need suggestions

[Guest guest]

I think my daughter's classroom may have mold issues-it seemed ok during the

winter but now (maybe with rising humidity here in NY?) I feel that I reacted

when I visited in March. She seems to be having more behavioral issues after

school. I got the school to agree to let me put an Austin air purifier in the

classroom but will that be enough? Any suggestions? I don't have the energy to

take on a big entity like the school to fight for testing, etc.

Thanks

----------

Sent from my Verizon Wireless mobile phone

- [] Digest Number 6967

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately if the room or building has a mold issue a air purifier is

not going to protect your daughter. I would demand an inspection and take her

out asap. If she is already showing some symptoms they could get worse.

I've lived the nightmare and would not hesitate to remove my child and have

her home schooled if necessary.

I think my daughter's classroom may have mold issues-it seemed ok during

the winter but now (maybe with rising humidity here in NY?) I feel that I

reacted when I visited in March. She seems to be having more behavioral

issues after school. I got the school to agree to let me put an Austin air

purifier in the classroom but will that be enough? Any suggestions? I don't

have

the energy to take on a big entity like the school to fight for testing,

etc.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

along the same lines.... what evidence would be reasonable to expect an indoor

air quality test be done at a public school? 

From: jjcox22@... <jjcox22@...>

Subject: [] possible moldy classroom-need suggestions

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 11:49 AM

I think my daughter's classroom may have mold issues-it seemed ok during

the winter but now (maybe with rising humidity here in NY?) I feel that I

reacted when I visited in March. She seems to be having more behavioral issues

after school. I got the school to agree to let me put an Austin air purifier in

the classroom but will that be enough? Any suggestions? I don't have the

energy to take on a big entity like the school to fight for testing, etc.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

Excellent question because we must keep clearly in mind the

difference between mold testing and indoor air quality testing.

They are not the same thing.

Indoor air quality is a combination of many factors, just like

human health quality is a combination of many factors.

Mold is but one of many facets of indoor air quality. Plus there are

a half dozen methods of testing with several different methods of

analysis. None of them give the full picture for mold. All but one

method detects only the spores (seeds) of the mold growth. Mold

growth does not always make spores just like grass growth and

tree growth does not always produce seeds.

And, as I'm sure Dr Thrasher will emphatically add, it is not just

the mold. There is bacteria, actinomycetes and a dozen other

microbes and microbial components always involved with the

conditions which produce mold growth (dampness).

The numbers by themselves have no meaning. For example, I

can take a swab of mold and get a measurement of 1,000,000

spores per square centimeter. Wow! Dangerous by anyone's

common sense understanding. Right?

It depends.

If the area swabbed is only a few square centimeters in size and

it is the only mold growth in an entire 2000 sq ft house then it is

grossly insignifiant. It does not represent the conditions of the

building and certainly not the exposure to the people.

But if the area swabbed was the same sized small spot from 4

walls and a ceiling all covered in visible mold growth, then it

would also not be representative of the situation because it

grossly UNDER estimated the amount and the exposure.

What you really need is a competent inspection of the building to

determine and document type and use, systems and their

functioning, how they affect each other, building and room

materials, HVAC, psychrometrics (temperature-humidity-dew

point-surface temperatures), chemical and fragrance sources,

pesticide use, cleaning materials, ventilation, air pathways,

pressure differentials, and a few other things to identify conditions

associated with the quality of indoor air. The same is needed to

determine and document the conditions associated with mold

growth.

This information is what is needed first in order to determine what

type of testing (mold or otherwise) would be useful, how to test,

where to test, and how to interpret the results.

Find someone with experience and qualifications. Search the

HUD web site of hhcontractors.org, the Indoor Air Quality

Association www.iaqa.org, the American Council of Accredited

Certifications www.acac.org, Restoration Industry Association

www.ria.org and Healthy Home Specialists at the National

Environmental Health Association www.neha.org

That's a start. You then have to qualify them for competence,

reputation, and ethics.

I wish it were easier but, unfortunately, it's not.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

along the same lines.... what evidence would be reasonable to expect an

indoor air quality test be done at a public school?

--- On Wed, 4/6/11, jjcox22@... <jjcox22@...>

wrote:

From: jjcox22@... <jjcox22@...>

Subject: [] possible moldy classroom-need suggestions

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 11:49 AM

I think my daughter's classroom may have mold issues-it seemed ok

during the winter but now (maybe with rising humidity here in NY?) I

feel that I reacted when I visited in March. She seems to be having more

behavioral issues after school. I got the school to agree to let me put an

Austin air purifier in the classroom but will that be enough? Any

suggestions? I don't have the energy to take on a big entity like the school

to fight for testing, etc.

Thanks

----------

The following section of this message contains a file attachment

prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.

If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,

you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.

If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

---- File information -----------

File: DEFAULT.BMP

Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10

Size: 358 bytes.

Type: Unknown