Learning about sick schools

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Learning about sick schools

Dust and mold can impede students' performance

Kris Sherman; The News Tribune

Some days, fifth-grader Revelle spends as few as 15 minutes in

Artondale Elementary School near Gig Harbor before she gets a rash. Or a

headache. Or other signs of illness.

" She's been getting rashes on her arms, on her ankles, on her belly, places

that aren't exposed to the air, " mom Kim Snyder said. " She's been sent home

sick 50 days so far (this school year). "

School and health department officials think the culprits are excessive

dust, poor ventilation and mold.

Environmental problems are not unique to Artondale.

While Peninsula School District officials work to solve them at the

1960s-era school, their colleagues across the Puget Sound area and the

nation are learning how to deal with - and pay for - " sick building

syndrome. "

There are no national standards or guidelines for such environmental

problems in schools, says Barnett, executive director of the Albany,

N.Y.-based Healthy Schools Network. But the Environmental Protection Agency

says air pollution leads to mental lapses and poor performance.

In recent years, environmental sleuths uncovered mold problems at Roy

Elementary School, Decatur High School in Federal Way, Vashon Island High

School and an elementary school in the Highline School District, among

others, said Tim Hardin, the state's indoor air-quality program manager for

schools.

He's periodically called to evaluate Tacoma schools, too.

" The only one we've ever walked away from (or couldn't fix) was the

elementary in the Highline School District, " he added. " It's been a problem

for 10 or 15 years. The multipurpose room, library and gym all had water

intrusion and mold issues. "

Statewide, health department specialists investigate suspected environmental

problems such as mold and unhealthful air at dozens of schools each year, he

said.

National studies also reveal the extent of sick school syndrome.

Consider:

* A 1995 report released by the U.S. General Accounting Office concluded

that more than half the nation's 115,000 schools suffer from indoor

air-quality problems.

* Fifty-five million Americans - about one in five - spend their days in

elementary and secondary schools, according to the EPA. And children, the

EPA says, " are especially susceptible to pollutants. "

* One-third of the nation's schools need major repairs or replacement,

according to a 2000 study by the Washington, D.C.,-based National Education

Association. Leaky roofs, mold, poor ventilation and filthy carpets are

present in many of those buildings.

NEA analysts estimate fixing or rebuilding the nation's sick and crumbling

schools, along with installing new technology, would cost about $322

billion - money school districts just don't have, spokeswoman Kathleen Lyons

said.

* Officials in 12 states are scratching their heads over the cause of

unexplained rashes that developed among thousands of students in several

schools over the past two weeks. Researchers at the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention in Atlanta are studying the cases.

The 470-student Artondale school closed to students Feb. 12 so work crews

could tackle its dust, mold and ventilation problems.

Before the closure, students and staff members complained for months about

unexplained rashes, headaches, itchy eyes, sinus troubles, difficulty

breathing and other problems. None of the illnesses was believed

life-threatening, but paramedics recently came to school twice and gave

oxygen to stricken adults.

Now Artondale students are learning in makeshift classrooms spread across

four other schools and the school district offices until the all-clear is

given to move back.

No one knows yet when that might be or what the cleanup will cost. District

deputy superintendent Marcia ventured a " ballpark estimate " of

$50,000 two weeks ago, but as more problems are found and fixed, the cost

could rise dramatically.

The recent mold cleanup at Federal Way's Decatur High cost $147,200.

Artondale's problems, which date back several years, developed slowly.

The school district ordered extensive tests and maintenance to solve indoor

air-quality problems after complaints of unexplained illnesses at Artondale

in 1997. More testing occurred over the past two years, but the source of

the problems remained a mystery, said.

" Believe me, if we had known what the problem was early on, we would have

fixed it, " Superintendent Jim Coolican told parents during a recent meeting.

" I'm embarrassed. I'm mortified that in this day and age we don't know how

to build (and safely maintain) a school. "

A huge percentage of levy funds go toward school maintenance and repairs,

said, and Peninsula officials are asking voters to approve a

three-year, $38 million maintenance and operations levy March 12.

Healthy Schools director Barnett calls " this sick schools thing a national

phenomenon. "

" It takes an enormous amount of pain and suffering to get through these

events, " she said.

Healthy Schools Network is a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to helping

parents, staff and community members get action on their environmental

concerns, Barnett said. She is also the chairwoman of an Environmental

Protection Agency work group on school environment.

" Your school district (Peninsula) certainly ought to be commended for

closing the school down and getting the students into other schools, "

Barnett said. " That doesn't happen very often. "

Despite the fact that EPA and CDC investigators often study such problems,

Barnett is livid that there's no federal law protecting schoolchildren from

sick buildings.

" Indoor air quality is an orphan issue. No one has responsibility for it at

the federal level in terms of setting guidelines or anything enforceable. "

Even if you don't feel sick, your work performance can suffer from breathing

dirty or contaminated air, Barnett added.

The EPA agrees.

Poor indoor air quality can cause health symptoms that lower performance,

including mental tasks that take concentration, calculation or memory,

according to information the agency provides on the Internet.

Hardin, the state's indoor air-quality program manager, says mold, dust and

other problems can occur in any building, whether it's 5 or 50 years old. He

blames excessive amounts of paper, materials stored in cardboard boxes,

carpets, a dirty playground, general clutter and personal dust for much of

the problem.

Paper itself is a huge problem because minute dust particles fly into the

air from every piece you have, he explained. And it's not one kind of dust

but many because papers made of different materials put out different

particles.

And then there's the " Pig Pen " issue.

" We're all like little 'Pig Pens' (a character from the Peanuts cartoon

strip), carrying our own personal clouds of dust around with us, " Hardin

said.

That dust includes skin flakes, dandruff, clothes fibers, dirt, pollen and

other items from places you've been - even cat dander and dog fur if you

have a pet.

The problems are compounded when you have 25 or more students, all

breathing, all rustling, all expelling dust, in a classroom, Hardin said.

Whatever the cause, signs now posted at Artondale leave no doubt that the

remedy will be neither easy nor cheap.

" DANGER. Microbial remediation, " reads a sign on one door leading to

classrooms tented in plastic. " Respiratory health hazard. Authorized

personnel only. Respirators and protective clothing required in this area. "

The repairs probably will blow a hole in the district's maintenance budget.

But says that doesn't matter.

" Health and safety is our number-one priority, " she said. " If students don't

feel safe in an environment, then they're not going to learn. "

- - -

* Staff writer Kris Sherman covers Peninsula schools. Reach her at

253-597-8659 or kris.sherman@....

- - -

SIDEBAR: Tips for parents:

* If you think a school building is making your child sick, keep a calendar

of all the days he or she is sent home from school or stays home with the

same kinds of symptoms.

* Take your child to a physician and document the visit so you have a record

for future reference.

* If you think there's a link between your child's illnesses and the school,

go to the school and walk around it to see if you experience any of the

symptoms.

* Talk to the head custodian about problems he or she has encountered in the

school. Are work crews given enough time to clean the building well?

* Notify school, local and state health department officials as soon as you

suspect there's a problem.

Source: Barnett, executive director of Healthy Schools Network,

Albany, N.Y.

- - -

SIDEBAR: On the Internet

Here are some Internet sources for information about indoor air quality and

other " sick building syndrome " problems in schools.

* www.nea.org/esp/resource/iaq.htm.

* www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues174.shtml.

* www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html.

* www.healthyschools.org.

* www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/IAQ.HTM.

© The News Tribune

02/28/2002