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

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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.