Dayton's West Carrollton High School Air Quality Problem

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http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/local/0120mold.htmlWest Carrollton not alone in air issue High school stricken with mold; district schedules meeting By Mong e-mail address: cathy_mong@...Dayton Daily News WEST CARROLLTON | Debbi Watts tried to convince her 16-year-old son that the air at school did not cause his wheezing and spiked fevers. That was before doctors put him on a breathing machine and steroids — and before she got her hands on more than 20 reports indicating West Carrollton High School had air quality problems. Since Nov. 30, Watts has kept her son, , a sophomore, at home. and about a dozen other students experiencing health problems some believe are related to air quality in the high school are receiving instruction at home with tutors provided by the school district. Watts said she has read everything she can, called the Montgomery County and state boards of health and inquired whether the governor and state representatives can insist on schools cleaning up the classrooms. Watts intends to show up Wednesday night at the West Carrollton High School auditorium at a public meeting to ask West Carrollton school officials questions about the health of the city's school buildings. She is expected to be joined by hundreds of other concerned parents, school staff and students who have attempted to separate fact from fiction about their school's air. Parents' protests, teachers' complaints and a walk-out by students led up to this meeting, for which school officials have invited experts to talk about how indoor air quality is a growing health problem across the country. West Carrollton residents and students have said they believe mold in the high school from excessive moisture is a possible cause of their health problems. The experts say mold is only one of a number of irritants in schools, homes and work that can make it difficult for some people to breathe, cause headaches and other illnesses. Watts has set up an e-mail address — SeekingEHS@... — which stands for Seeking Environmentally Health Schools — and she invites anyone interested to contact her. "I just want to find the truth," said the 39-year-old mother of two. At Wednesday's meeting will be a panel of experts who have either taken part in the West Carrollton school's environmental assessments or studied them in detail. Among those panelists is Thad Godish, director of indoor air quality and indoor environment activities at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. He has written four books about the environment, and calls mold the latest "flavor of the month" indoor health worry, which have previously included formaldehyde, radon and sick-building syndrome. He said that once mold was found in West Carrollton High School, "the issue entered a whole new domain" and has "entered the public arena in a way that isn't common." Now, he said, there's a "human element associated with it," and emotional issues, such as illnesses reported by teachers and students, have "taken this and exploded it into the public; allowed it to get out of hand." While most of the mold has been found and cleaned up, Godish said the major problem at the school stems from a "long history of deferred maintenance." Maintaining the ventilation systems and providing adequate clean air exchanges is the best prevention to the problems he is seeing. Godish said West Carrollton has significantly cleaned the building by fixing an old, leaky roof, replacing damaged ceiling tiles and washing, wiping and sweeping the majority of the 40-year-old high school. Friday, however, some teachers reported 10 large ceiling tiles saturated with yellowish water dripping from an overhead corrugated metal roof, splashed to the floor of a storage room. Several others were damaged, they said. Interest in the air quality problems at West Carrollton reflects what's occurring nationally. "Our program has really taken off in recent months," said Jim Gross, a testing analyst with Regional Air Pollution Control Agency in Montgomery County. "When the program came into existence 15 years ago, there were approximately 15 calls per month," he said. "Now we get 15 calls per day." Gross said education is the key to understanding indoor environment, and that health is directly related to indoor air quality. "Most people spend 90 to 95 percent of the time indoors," Gross said, "so it's appropriate to be concerned." Sometimes, he said, "issues of emotion and trust come into play as issues, and need to be dealt with." Such is the case in West Carrollton. More than half of the school's 73 teachers have complained of eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or fatigue. Students have reported health problems, too, though the number of complaints by students has not been divulged by the school district and individual student records must be kept private by law. However, in December more than 300 of the 1,140 students left classes in protest, demanding that the school administration improve conditions at the high school. The recurring ailments, which reportedly subside once students and teachers are outside the building, have pitted a portion of the West Carrollton community against the administration in the southwestern Montgomery County school district. Watts isn't the typical disgruntled parent. She has thrown herself into finding answers which only leads her to more questions. She and other parents have complained that school district officials have not told them enough about the problems and what's been done to try to clean up the high school. "I know they're not a heartless group of people," Watts said of the West Carrollton school board and school administrators. "But they could have communicated better, and earlier." The first teacher complaint was documented Sept. 3, 1999, from Room 316, where an elevated carbon dioxide level was found. Carbon dioxide, a colorless, odorless and tasteless exhaled product of human breathing, is always present in occupied buildings, but if the air is not properly moved, the buildup of carbon dioxide can cause headaches. A very high concentration can cause a loss of mental sharpness. The district purchased portable "wands" attached to laptop computers that can read an area's relative humidity, temperature and levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, within minutes. On Thursday, in Room 301, Spanish teacher Ritterhoff prepared for class while Ken Buchholz, the facilities operations maintenance supervisor, took a reading. "It's much better now, since the (holiday) break," said Ritterhoff, a third-year teacher. "It's not as stuffy." The district did a massive clean-up over the holidays and installed carbon dioxide sensors, among other improvements. Other complaints by teachers and students include irritated eyes, noses and throats. Some teachers have taken time off, and some students have opted to graduate early so they can get out of the high school building. "Research shows perhaps 20, 30 or even 40 percent of people may be affected by something in their workplace or school," Gross said. "It's very possible that individuals, not only at this high school, but at other schools and places, are being affected adversely by something in the air." Gross called West Carrollton's situation "the tip of the iceberg" and said his co-workers now are spending their days visiting other schools in the area. Superintendent Rusty Clifford said that in the past two decades maintenance became a low priority, not only at West Carrollton, but in other financially struggling school districts. In 1995, West Carrollton voters passed a 5-year, 2.5-mill capital improvement levy. The $900,000 annual revenue will pay for new roofs, the purchase of buses, and other necessary expenditures without touching the general fund, used primarily for staff salaries and benefits. This year's capital improvements fund has nearly all been spent on the high school. The district plans to begin looking next at the middle school, then its five elementary schools. Clifford understands the district is looked at as a test case for identifying and handling indoor air quality issues. "We're out there; we're the pilot," he said. "We happen to be the first, but we certainly won't be the last." The attention to mold has caught the attention of homeowners and home builders, as the number of lawsuits against builders and insurance companies has risen dramatically the past year across the country. According to the Schnapf Environmental Law Center, established in New York in 1998, one insurer said more than $50 million in claims were filed last year. The Texas Insurance Council estimated that mold-related claims have risen 135 percent since 1999, spurring insurers in Texas to ask the Texas Insurance Commissioner to exclude coverage for mold damage from standard homeowners policies. Tim lin of the Home Builders Association of Dayton and the Miami Valley, said he is not aware of mold issues at any significant level in Miami Valley houses. "There's probably a case here or there where mold may crop up in an older basement that's damp, but in new housing I'm not familiar with widespread problems reported in other areas of the country where the humidity is a lot higher." The National Association of Home Builders has created a Web site — www.nahbrc.org — to help members understand the complex nature of mold, its abatement and liability issues. There are no federal or state standards for what levels of exposure to molds presents significant health risks and there are no federal standards for mold, though the Environmental Protection Agency published a guideline for remediating mold in schools and commercial buildings. Gross said Montgomery County's combined health district supports the EPA guidelines, called Tools for Schools program, that is geared toward prevention of mold and other air quality problems. West Carrollton recently adopted the program and intends to implement it, with the help of school staff and residents. Gross goes even further by recommending the program be used in all work places and residences. "Most problems that result in indoor air problems can oftentimes be remedied in a simple and cost-effective manner," Gross said. Godish said some allergens that cause breathing and other problems are not found in the schools, but in the home. "When someone has asthma, and thinks it's due to the school, it's probably more likely the source of the problem is at home." Dust mites are a main culprit. The insects typically are found in bedding and carpeted floors. The microscopic critters love carpeting and don't like hard-surfaced floors, Godish said. "So, dust mites in West Carrollton High School would be very low," he said. Gross looks forward to getting the information out at Wednesday's public meeting. "I think it would be very beneficial for everyone to look forward and not backward at what has or hasn't been done by the school district. Looking back will only impede progress," he said. Godish agreed: "It's in everyone's best interests — staff, students, parents, school administrators — to get this thing resolved and get back to normalcy. Do it in a year's time and get on with your lives." • Contact Mong at 225-2353 or e-mail her at cathy_mong@... [From the Dayton Daily News: 01.20.2002]