Re: War on mold continues at Kickapoo High School (Springfield, Mo)

[Guest guest]

The properly managed schools are keeping the relative humidity

through their facilities below 50% with dehumidification and avoiding

mold growth. Most school systems are waiting for complaints form

students and teacher before responding to the need for cleanup and

dehumidification. So mold is not a problem until you have it growing

and get caught by a sensitive person that occupies the facility. In

addition, we have facilities being cleaned up and nothing done to

prevent future growth of mold. So most school systems are crossing

their fingers and hoping nobody complains about mold problems. My

hat is off to the few schools that are taking the intative to

eliminate moisture problems fixing water leaks and dehumidification.

The secret to avoiding mold growth is to keep the relative humidity

below 50%.

> http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/mold081502.html

>

> Aug. 15, 2002

> War on mold continues at Kickapoo

> Crews tackle black and green growths as start date for school year

> approaches.

>

> By Kathleen O'Dell

> News-Leader

>

> Kickapoo High School students returning on Wednesday and the rest

of this

> week to pick up their class schedules are being barred from some

first-floor

> corridors, classrooms and lockers while workers clean up mold in

ceiling

> tiles, on surfaces and in the air. The whole area is cordoned off

by heavy

> sheets of plastic, so teachers can't get into their classrooms,

either.

>

> Principal Doug Bloch said he expects cleanup, re-testing and

restoration

> work will be finished before classes resume Aug. 26.

>

> " We're doing our best to make sure the school is free of this

problem, "

> Bloch said. " I'd like to not have to talk about this next year. For

one year

> I'd like to be mold-free. "

>

> Superintendent Jack Ernst also sent a letter to Kickapoo parents

and staff

> this week to explain the work and reassure them that the affected

classrooms

> and halls won't be reopened until a third party verifies they are

suitable

> to occupy.

>

> Eight air quality tests conducted in the past by environmental

engineering

> firms have noted mold in some areas of the school, Ernst said in

the letter,

> but he emphasized, " Each of these tests has confirmed the school has

> acceptable air quality. "

>

> The source of their mold woes: The school's overloaded, 31-year-old

air

> conditioning system, which promotes mold growth above and on

ceiling tiles

> and pipe insulation.

>

> School officials have battled mold there since the early '90s. It

turns

> ceiling tiles black, clings to pipe insulation and leaves a green

film on

> library books.

>

> Students and staff also complain that they smell moldy odors and

suffer from

> allergic reactions - from nosebleeds and sneezing to headaches and

itchy,

> watery eyes - whenever the system starts up in the spring and fall.

>

> The variety of molds found at Kickapoo over the years and this

summer have

> been linked to allergic reactions in people with asthma and

sensitivity to

> molds.

>

> Year after year, when the mold returns, the district continues to

clean it

> up and tweak the air conditioning system because it doesn't have

the money

> to fix it once and for all, Bloch has said. The school will replace

one

> major rooftop air conditioning unit before school resumes, he said.

>

> The cleanup, which began about 10 days ago, stems from the latest

study

> showing elevated levels of several kinds of visible and airborne

mold in six

> first-floor classrooms, the ceiling tiles, above the ceiling, on

pipes,

> above the southeast stairs to the auditorium, the northwest

hallways and

> other areas.

>

> To accomplish the work, however, crews had to seal off the first-

floor

> classroom wing involving 18 rooms, hallways and lockers.

>

> Lee, an independent industrial hygienist with Lee Safety &

> Environmental Services in Springfield, said his study in May showed

evidence

> of aspergillus/penicillium fungal spores and surface samples of

> stachybotrys - so-called toxic " black mold " - in and above some

classrooms.

>

> " Stachybotrys and some species of penicillium and aspergillus molds

are

> known to cause allergic response and/or illness in some

individuals, " Lee

> wrote in his follow-up report.

>

> The district hired Lee and his staff of six, who have been working

for about

> 10 days, 8 a.m. to midnight, in protective suits and respirators.

The job

> could take another five to 10 days, Lee said.

>

> They are removing all ceiling tiles, some building materials, pipe

> insulation, and vacuuming, scrubbing and disinfecting above

ceilings in the

> affected areas plus two classrooms out from the " hot spots " to make

sure the

> mold didn't migrate further, Lee said.

>

> " I somehow wonder whether air conditioning is that great a thing,

with all

> the problems it causes, " Lee said during a break at Kickapoo on

Wednesday.

>

> The initial May study cost the district about $3,000, Lee said,

plus $6,000

> for additional testing and " rush " fees, waste hauling and worker

supplies.

> Labor costs about $2,000 a day - excluding overtime, and there's

been plenty

> of that to get the building ready in time, Lee said.

>

> The district has no budget for mold removal, so the cost will come

out of

> general maintenance and repair funds. A series of budget cuts from

> transportation and athletics this spring generated about $1 million

this

> year for projects such as new roofs at three schools with mold

problems and

> mold removal at Kickapoo, a school spokeswoman said.

>

> The district still plans to hire a third party to retest the

building after

> Lee is finished, a standard practice for mold removal, and will use

> independent contractors and district employees to replace ceiling

tiles,

> pipes and insulation. That could be started as Lee's crew finishes

each area

> so they make their Aug. 26 deadline.

>

> Bloch said he hopes a portion of the first floor will be reopened

by Monday

> so new and returning teachers can get into their rooms.

>

> " I was completely impressed today when I walked through there and

saw

> everything they had done and everything they are doing, " Bloch said

> Wednesday.

>

> " They've accomplished a great deal. Whether they accomplish their

goal of

> having us mold-free or not, time will tell. "

>

> Highlights of industrial hygienist's findings

>

> Among findings at Kickapoo High School that led to the cleanup:

>

> . Visible mold in several rooms and evidence of water leakage or

> condensation-related leakage above drop ceilings, especially where

previous

> roof or piping leaks were suspected. Twice in his report, industrial

> hygienist Lee emphasized that janitors must remove wet or

darkened

> tiles more quickly to prevent the rapid growth of toxic molds that

can

> affect air quality. " Several tiles appeared to have been there for

months, "

> he said.

>

> . Airborne mold spore tests found low levels of Amerospores (often

> penicillium types), cladosporium (common leaf mold) or other non-

toxic

> species in most samples. Aspergillus/penicillium fungal spores were

found

> (moderate levels above outdoor levels) in a couple of classrooms.

>

> . Airborne Stachybotrys (toxic) was not found on any air samples

collected

> on the survey. But he did find it in bulk or surface samples of

ceiling

> tiles in the southeast stairs to the auditorium.