Could Mold and Asbestos Removal Cause Death of 6 Students?

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Student deaths rattle town

Officials insist 6 recent cases are coincidence, but frightened parents are

not convinced

By

Tribune national correspondent

Published May 24, 2002

ENOLA, Pa. -- A bizarre battle between fact and fear rages in this small

Susquehanna River town, where some parents strongly suspect an environmental

link among the deaths of six students in the last six months, a connection

authorities firmly insist does not exist.

There is no question that, in a town of 19,000 people, six children dying in

the same school district, including three students in the last month, is so

startling that it is drawing national attention and spawning a raft of local

rumors. But a growing number of parents here believe the string of deaths

goes beyond coincidence, despite official findings that all of the deaths

resulted from different, but natural, causes.

They point specifically to renovation work that has been going on for the

last year at East Pennsboro Area High School and question if the mold and

asbestos found there could have contributed to at least some of the deaths.

" Do you know of any other school in the nation that has this kind of

coincidence? I think they're all exposed to something there and we have to

figure out what it is, " said Nadine , mother of two high school

students and a member of the East Pennsboro Concerned Parents group.

" Personally, I think all of the children had pre-existing conditions, but

there was something in the atmosphere that kicked these things in. "

Parents `scared to death'

is correct about pre-existing conditions in at least five of the

deaths but wrong about environmental factors exacerbating those conditions,

according to Cumberland County coroner Norris. Children's deaths are

frightening, he said, and fear is keeping parents from accepting the facts.

" They are scared to death. It's fear that is driving them. Their fear turns

to anger and they're directing that anger at the only central point they can

think of, the school system, " he said. " Their fear is causing them to reject

common-sense answers. They have been told by a number of experts that these

deaths are not related in any way, but they're not satisfied because that

doesn't relieve their fears. "

Adding to the anxiety are the rumors, ranging from reports of cancer among

construction workers at the school to illnesses among teachers. According to

Dr. Ken Harm, one of the construction workers has had bladder cancer for

five years, which far predates his work at the school.

Dave Angle, a senior vice president at Reynolds Construction Management,

which is overseeing the work, referred questions about illness among the

construction workers to the East Pennsboro Area School District. Repeated

calls to school officials were not returned.

Preliminary results of testing earlier this month by the state environmental

agency showed no evidence of problems in the air or water in any of the

schools, including the 43-year-old red brick high school. Nonetheless, in a

further attempt to allay fears, the school district has contracted with an

independent firm, Cocciardi and Associates, to conduct comprehensive

environmental tests of school facilities; results are expected by August.

The state health department also has dispatched a team of epidemiologists to

examine the health records of the six dead children and school records of

visits by all students to the nurse's office for any pattern of illnesses.

A number of parents have expressed concern about what they describe as an

increase in respiratory infections, headaches, nosebleeds and other problems

among students in recent months. But, the facts of the deaths, as reported,

suggest few patterns or possible links.

The first three students who died had long-standing, serious illnesses and

were under the care of physicians. Autopsies were not conducted in those

cases. Tiffanie Salvadia, who died Dec. 16, was a 16-year-old high school

sophomore who had suffered for two years from a rare form of ovarian cancer.

Less than a week later, on Dec. 21, Breanna Santiago, 5, died. A

kindergartner at East Pennsboro Elementary School, the child had

long-standing respiratory problems and was the recipient of a double lung

transplant.

On Jan. 31, Lee Umbenhauer, an 18-year-old high school senior, died from a

rare cancer.

3 victims seemed healthy

The most recent three deaths, however, occurred in children who had appeared

healthy. Shamansky, 16, was an honor student and football player at

the high school before he collapsed at track practice and died two days

later on May 2. An autopsy revealed that Shamansky's heart was enlarged to

more than twice the normal size, according to Graham Hetrick, coroner of

Dauphin County, across the river in burg, where Shamansky died.

Jimmy Henry, also a junior at the East Pennsboro high school, died from a

brain aneurysm on May 5. The 17-year-old showed no symptoms, but the

condition was with him from birth, according to Norris, the coroner for

Cumberland County.

No specific cause has been determined for the collapse and death of

Batdorf, 13, at East Pennsboro Area Middle School on April 22. However,

Norris said, " We have enough test results to tell us that this is clearly a

natural death and clearly not related to any environmental problems. "

Dawn Batdorf, 's mother, is not convinced of that. A small,

frail-looking woman with anxious eyes, Batdorf, 36, said waited

daily in the high school cafeteria to walk home with her older sister

, 15.

In recent months, had suffered from bouts of bronchitis and was

recovering from one at the time of her death, she said. " They're holding a

lot back, " said Batdorf of the school administrators.

" They hide things. That's what's upsetting me, " said Deneen Gethouas,

Tiffanie Salvadia's mother. Gethouas suspects something in the high school

environment hastened Tiffanie's death. " Now, I'm wondering if whatever's

wrong in there, mold or asbestos, caused my daughter to leave us sooner than

we expected, " she said.

Mother seeks information

Despite public meetings set up by the school district and explanations by

the coroners, Albright, 48, also believes administrators should supply

more information and address parents' concerns over the rumors. " They say

ignorance is bliss, but ignorance is panic around here, " said Albright,

whose 15-year-old son Corey is a freshman.

" I don't know what to do, " she said. " If I take him out of school, he gets

reprimanded. If I leave him in and something happens, then I feel like a

parent from hell. "

Although a handful of students walked out of the high school Wednesday,

citing fear, the majority of children continue to attend classes.

Albright, like others, is anxious to hear the results of the health

department's investigation and environmental tests.

Even if those results are good, Norris said, it may not be enough. " I don't

know what will ever satisfy the parents' need for an explanation, " he said.

Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune