The air is clear at Lincoln school

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July 02, 2002

The air is clear at Lincoln school

By Tim Grace

LINCOLN -- Northern Elementary received a clean bill of health last week

when results of an air quality study revealed that contaminants, including

mold and carbon dioxide, were within acceptable limits. Questions about the

building's air quality were raised after one of the school's teachers was

diagnosed with a mold-related illness according to Fontaine, the

school district's director of buildings and grounds.

Built in 1972, the school houses more than 700 students during the school

year. An addition, including some basement level classrooms, was added to

the main structure in 1997.

Conducted by Occuhealth Inc. of Mansfield, Mass., The testing was designed

to measure levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ultrafine airborne

particles, temperature and humidity, and mold spores.

A walk-through examinations was followed by collection and analysis of air

samples taken on May 31 according to the report.Samples were taken with

windows closed and a full compliment of students and faculty present to more

accurately measure the efficiency of the building's ventilation system.

Outside readings were collected for comparison purposes according to a copy

of the report summary.

Researchers did find slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the grade

3-6 main office and one of the lower level rooms and recommended that the

unit ventilators throughout the school be kept on during school hours.

Fontaine said some of the ventilators had been switched off by teachers and

staff and others had been obstructed withbooks and papers.

Fontaine said he's stressed the importance of thorough cleaning to the

custodial staff at Northern. " They need to do a better job, " he conceded

during an interview Monday afternoon.

Fontaine said he's also asked teachers to leave the ventilators on in the

classrooms and to not use the row of dusts, " as a shelf " or storage area.

Mold spores were found but were of a type, " not typically associated with

health problems at the measured concentrations " according to the report's

executive summary.There were more than twice as many mold spores in the area

outside the structure according to the report.

The teacher suffering from mold exposure, who Fontaine said he could not

identify, has returned to work and will likely continue at the school.

Fontaine said he was pleased with the test results but had been ready to

address any air quality problem brought to light. " I don't want to send a

child or a teacher into a building that's not safe, " he said.

Results of the study were shared with 23 concerned teachers and parents

during a meeting Thursday night.

The air quality test was the second conducted in the school over the last 10

months.A similar round of trials, minus testing for mold spores, were

conducted in November and also returned findings within safe levels

according to Fontaine.

©The Pawtucket Times 2002