Heritage Grove Middle School - Air tests: No major pollutants

[Guest guest]

Air tests: No major pollutants

By Charla Brautigam

STAFF WRITER

Heritage Grove: Environmental group gives sneak peek at next week's results

PLAINFIELD - Heritage Grove Middle School students, parents and teachers

can breathe a sigh a relief, as air-quality tests show no major contaminates

circulating throughout the building, an environmental consultant said

Thursday.

" We did not find anything of serious concern, " said Regelbrugge,

senior consultant with Aires Consulting Group Inc. of Batavia. " Nothing that

would warrant closing the building. "

The Plainfield School District hired the group to perform a series of

air-quality tests at the school after a number of students and teachers

started experiencing headaches, nausea and respiratory illnesses. The

ailments began around the same time mold was discovered on several bulletin

boards and ceiling tiles.

On Thursday, Aires consultants will reveal what their tests discovered

during a 6:30 p.m. meeting in the school's media center, 124500 S. VanDyke

Road, Plainfield. The public is welcome to attend.

While nothing " serious " was found at the school, consultants did discover

a few " minor things " that need to be addressed, according to Regelbrugge.

He declined to discuss what those " minor things " are, however, until

Thursday's meeting.

The group wants everyone - including district employees, parents and

students - to learn the results at the same time, Regelbrugge said.

To do otherwise would " circumvent the process, " agreed Heritage Grove

Principal Early, who also is waiting to hear the group's findings.

In addition to testing the school for mold, the group tested it for carbon

monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, hydrocarbon

vapors, dust, ozone, hydrogen sulfide and radon.

" The whole goal is to ensure the best air quality, " Regelbrugge said.

On Thursday, Regelbrugge will not only highlight what his group found at

Heritage Grove but offer suggestions on how the district can improve the

school's air quality.

" There's always things you can do to improve things, " Regelbrugge said.

Heritage Grove parent Pommier, who pushed for the additional

testing, said she is not surprised Aires Consulting found only " minor "

problems at the school since its moldy ceiling tiles were removed prior to

the tests.

" How can they get a true and correct reading? " she asked. " They changed

the road map. "

Regelbrugge agreed the fresh ceiling tiles could have influenced the final

test results but that he would expect someone to remove the contaminated

tiles as soon as the mold was discovered.

" They were trying to correct a situation, " he said. " That's exactly what

happened. " Charla Brautigam can be reached at (815) 729-6079 or via e-mail

at cbrautigam@....

05/24/02