Parents told school cleaner

[Guest guest]

Parents told school cleaner

Mold session updates efforts at West Carrollton

By Mong

e-mail address: cathy_mong@...

Dayton Daily News

WEST CARROLLTON | A complaint of stuffy air in Room 316 on Sept. 3, 1999,

spawned Wednesday night's expert environmental and medical panel discussion

on mold and air-quality issues at West Carrollton High School.

More than 325 information-hungry parents, staffers and students filled the

school's auditorium and heard that they are in the forefront of tackling one

of the hottest issues plaguing districts, as well as public buildings and

residences, throughout the country.

" Work is ongoing, " Dana Green, director of building services for West

Carrollton Schools, said.

Stony silence greeted Green and Superintendent Rusty Clifford. However,

Kominsky, a certified industrial hygienist from Cincinnati, received a

hearty welcome as he dissected regions of the building from top to bottom,

inside out, and translated what he found in numerous assessments.

Kominsky likened his studies to unlocking a mystery and said he was

" delightfully surprised " to find " a significant improvement " in the air

quality since tests conducted in May. Still, an unusually high elevation of

molds, including aspergillus and penicillium, were found in several parts of

the building.

He said this finding remained a mystery to him, but the district is on its

way to finding the sources and eradicating them. Both fungi can trigger

allergic reactions.

Another allergen, dust mites, were found in just cleaned carpet in the band

room, Kominsky said. The mites, a level-one allergen, registered 1 1/2 times

the highest guidelines and he suggested that cleaning be more effective.

" I tested the middle of the floor, and maybe they missed that spot, " he

said.

Kominsky emphasized that the effectiveness of cleaning " needs to be

verified " and urged the district to use certified professionals.

Gayetsky, an Ohio Department of Health senior occupational hygienist

and engineer, said he has assessed Ohio schools the past 10 years and

" conditions here are not uncommon to those seen across the state. "

The effort taken so far to clean up the school, he said, " was as

comprehensive as I have encountered in Ohio. "

The district plans to implement the Tools for Schools kit put out by the

Environmental Protection Agency and will be building committees of school

and community members.

One parent, , said she did not believe the state health

organizations were truly interested in helping concerned parents. She left

the auditorium during part of the expert's presentation.

" I'll be back for the question part, " she said.

There was no lack of questions since West Carrollton school employees

distributed three pages listing 64 questions for the panel.

According to results of a survey of teachers and staff, to which 50 people

responded between Dec. 19 and Jan. 10:

.. 20 teachers are on medications for symptoms they believe are related to

the building;

.. 17 teachers are using inhalers;

.. 14 teachers said they plan to seek employment elsewhere if conditions

remain as they are;

.. 10 teachers have been told by their physicians to stay out of the

building. That is in addition to the seven who have left already, or who are

unable to work in the building.

.. 100 percent of the respondents reported reduced symptoms after two weeks

away from the building.

.. 68 percent showed an increase in symptoms and 32 percent showed no change

after a week back in the building.

The school has survived public protests, such as the walkout of 300 of its

1,140 students Dec. 7, which spurred the district to perform a massive

cleanup during the two-week holiday break, removing damaged ceiling tiles

and traces of mold.

Deteriorated outside air vents were replaced in some rooms, high-efficiency

particulate arresting air filters were placed in the 300-numbered rooms,

exhaust fans were cleaned, and other work was completed.

Testing has been performed by the Combined Health District of Montgomery

County, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Division of Safety and

Hygiene, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and

Environmental Quality Management of Cincinnati.

.. Contact Mong at 225-2353 or e-mail her at cathy_mong@...

[From the Dayton Daily News: 01.24.2002]