Toxic schools- another reason what we are doing is right: Long
Olga
Here is an article about mold in Florida schools. Although it
discusses southern Florida, I thought it generally showed the
bureaucracy of school distrcits and where children fit in their
agenda. I tried to put in the link but it would not work so here is
the article, kind of long but hopefully worthwhile:
Toxic Schools
By Trish Riley
Mold problems are widespread in humid South Florida -- affecting the
health of teachers and students, while school boards throughout the
region lag in solving the problem.
One South Florida teacher spent a year working in a damp classroom,
well aware that mold was growing in the corners and ceiling and
clinging to the walls. She filed complaints and documented incidents
and responses. She developed a cold, a yeast infection, a virus, a
respiratory illness. She was treated for allergies. She became so
tired she couldn't do anything but sleep when she was off work. She
got what they call "foggy brain syndrome" -- she just couldn't
concentrate on things long enough to solve them. There were
indications of lupus. Finally her doctor told her she just couldn't
go back to that moldy room -- it was ruining her health. Afraid to
jeopardize her court-won pension and insurance settlement, she can't
reveal her identity, but she's now on permanent disability. Although
her health has improved since getting out of the moldy classroom, she
experiences recurrences whenever she encounters any molds, chemicals,
stress or even average physical exertion.
Her reaction was severe, but it demonstrates what long-term exposure
to mold can do. Some people take longer to react to toxins in their
environment than others, but it is not uncommon for immune systems to
lose resistance to constant attacks. Children with immature systems
and those already disabled with asthma and allergies are at
particular risk.
Assessing the risk
If your child is in school, there's at least some possibility of
daily exposure to mold and mildew. Some studies estimate that half
the public schools in this country have unsatisfactory air quality
issues -- and in humid South Florida, the incidence of mold in
schools is potentially even higher. The exposure can cause serious
health problems.
Jonathan Lawson, a sixth-grader at Western Pines Middle School in
Royal Palm Beach, had to leave his classroom 14 times over the first
20 days of school, calling home and telling his mother he couldn't
breathe. "He tells me, 'It feels like someone's sitting on my chest --
I can't take it anymore,'" says his mother, Cynthia Lawson. "I'm
very frustrated. He's having such a hard time with his grades. It was
the same last year at Golden Globe Elementary next door. The nurses
saved Jonathan on more than one occasion."
Problems like these are widespread in South Florida, and although
school officials seem now to be addressing the problem, progress is
slow.
"Schools have mold for a variety of reasons," says Chris Skerlec,
environmental control officer for Palm Beach County Schools, whose
office investigates about 300 indoor air quality complaints a
year. "Mold spores are everywhere. You cannot prevent them," he says.
However, "you can keep the humidity low, keep the place dry and
clean. You can cure 95 percent of your air quality issues. It's not
rocket science."
Maybe not, but it is expensive science. For example, 24 Palm Beach
County schools were found to have a faulty air conditioning system
designed by W.R. Frizzell. The firm filed bankruptcy before the
school board could collect a judgment, so the school received only
$450,000 in restitution. The Palm Beach Post reported that repairs on
only ten of the affected schools were estimated to cost $20 million.
Those funds were set aside, according to school board members, but
only three of the 10 schools were fixed, with two more scheduled to
be fixed this year.
A preliminary report to the Broward School Board suggests a potential
cost of $2.5 billion to renovate schools with a variety of
maintenance problems, including mold abatement. A capital improvement
plan from 1998 committed $44 million to clean up mold problems in 155
schools over a five-year period, but an internal audit pointed up
problems with meeting the plans goals last year.
Jeff Moquin, director of risk management for the Broward School
Board, says that he deals with mold and moisture issues in the
schools daily. "We have water intrusion through leaks or humidity
issues with the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)
systems. Some of these issues require design time, bidding the job
out to a contractor and time to complete the work, and some of the
money only became available this year. (Of those identified in the
1998 plan), we have 10 to 12 schools 100 percent complete, with 90
schools three-quarters done. Some are in the design phase, others are
in construction."
In Miami-Dade, "We're looking at correcting mold situations at
approximately 15 schools," says John Schuster, spokesperson for Miami-
Dade Public Schools. "It's a range of things that need to be
corrected. We find a lot of situations arise because we're dealing
with older buildings that may have older AC systems and/or water
intrusion. It may be something as simple as replacing ceiling tiles
to having to arrange a water seal for an entire roof."
But involved Miami-Dade parents and teachers say the board is not
doing nearly enough to keep the school buildings maintained. "The
Miami-Dade public school district has squandered hundreds of millions
of public dollars intended for school construction and maintenance.
Meanwhile, it has grossly neglected the condition of virtually all of
its school facilities," says Surfside Mayor Paul Novack, who has been
appointed to a state committee assigned to oversee Miami-Dade
schools.
FIGHTING THE FIGHT
The Florida weather -- damp, hot and humid -- doesn't help. Mold will
grow here, just as it has always grown here. There are at least 1,000
types of fungus commonly found in North American buildings, and 200
are known to be harmful to humans. While it's unlikely that the crud
in your shower is harmful, exposure to certain mold strains can cause
allergic reactions and illness in some people, including those who
develop sensitivity after long-term exposure, such as teachers.
Dr. Herbert Moselle, an allergist in Plantation for the past 34
years, says there have always been mold problems, no worse today than
they ever were. "I always have teachers -- a minimum of 10 a week
come through this office," he says. Patients are first advised to
eliminate their exposure to the allergen. The next line of treatment
is with antihistamines and similar products, finally immunotherapy --
shots administered weekly over a long period of time. But to treat
for molds, doctors must identify the cause. If parents aren't aware
there's a mold problem at school, it may take longer to determine
what's causing their child's allergic symptoms.
Mary MacFie spent years taking her daughter Heather to specialists --
even as far away as New York -- but none were able to diagnose her
vomiting, her migraines, her face so swollen she couldn't see.
Heather's teachers suggested that her parents come talk to them, but
MacFie thought there was no point: Doctors hadn't figured out what
was wrong with her daughter, what could they know? Finally a teacher
took her aside and told her that many of the teachers at the school,
the Western High Annex in Sunrise, were sick with the same symptoms.
"Mold, they told me. I said, 'What are you talking about? Spray it
with bleach, call the health department, call OSHA.' 'We have,' they
said. 'It doesn't do any good,'" MacFie says.
Teachers can be confined to the same classroom all day long for years
on end. Even though their health is affected, many are reluctant to
speak up.
One way to break through a bureaucratic wall is the American way,
with lawsuits. Fort Lauderdale attorney Bob McKee represents 32
students and teachers across Palm Beach and Broward counties. "I get
100 calls a month, but I can only take on a few more cases each
month. I think the way to represent is in a group suit," McKee says.
John Countryman, assistant state attorney for Broward County, has
interviewed more than 100 teachers and parents affected by mold in
their schools in preparation of a report to be presented to a grand
jury for review this spring. A grand jury review of school
construction in 1997 revealed an unsavory picture of funds wasted on
inferior construction.
Rapid overdevelopment throughout South Florida called for quick
schools. Tight budgets led to faulty design and shoddy work. In Palm
Beach County, several schools' mildew problems have been linked to a
contractor that was fired from the job. In Broward, architect Donald
Singer was held to blame for poor design of nine schools, and
ultimately paid a settlement of $750,000. Architectural firm Miller,
Meier, Kenyon and Cooper was responsible for the faulty design of
another five Broward schools, but has gone out of business. In Miami-
Dade, the list of contractor failures is embarrassingly long. "Over
the last 19 years we've spent $6 billion on facilities alone," Novack
says, "yet the public has very little to show for that investment."
Across all three counties, cleanup efforts have been piecemeal at
best. The ceiling at Western High looks like a checkerboard of tiles
of various ages, styles and colors because when mold got into the
ceiling, tiles were replaced one at a time. But since mold spores are
airborne and attach themselves to any organic material, including
wood, paper, fabric and carpets, this has proven an ineffective means
of eradicating the problem.
"We had mushrooms growing on the floors from the moisture seeping
up," says Dick Keen of his portable classroom at the Western
Annex. "My throat swelled up, lymph glands were hurting and I was
missing a lot of school. I went to the allergist and he told me it
was mold, no doubt about it. Finally my floor got so weak a student
stepped right through it. When they pulled it up there was a half-
inch of this gelatinous slime. They replaced it in pieces, and with
the same wood. The worst thing is they're thinking about putting kids
back in those portables."
SOLUTIONS
Palm Beach County school officials say they're dealing with problems
as they find them, although they are reluctant to admit any real
problems exist. "We did find mold present at Banyan Elementary School
three years ago and replaced the air conditioning system. Since then
we have looked at all of our other schools with similar air
conditioning systems, but have not found any other problems," says
spokesman Nat Harrington. Meanwhile, Cynthia Lawson is left to wonder
why her son can't breathe at the Royal Palm school he attends.
The board has partnered with the American Lung Association in its
Asthma Free Schools project, providing air-quality training to staff
at 20 schools last year and 20 more this year. "The schools are doing
what they can," says Cindy Vallo, with the American Lung Association
of Southeast Florida. "The key is to prevent mold by keeping things
clean and dry. If you've got a leak, fix it and make sure it's dried
within 24 hours."
The Broward School Board, under pressure from the state attorney's
office, is developing another maintenance, repair and construction
plan that includes mold and mildew remediation throughout the
district. A new bidding prequalification process helps to eliminate
incapable construction companies, and new schools have been designed
with mold and mildew prevention in mind. Open breezeways and
classroom windows provide better ventilation and most floors are
tiled rather than carpeted. Thermostats are monitored and teams work
full-time maintaining heating and air conditioning ventilation
systems. Broward Superintendent Frank Till recently announced a plan
to hire an administrator who will be responsible for addressing mold
issues. Some view the move with relief; others see it as another
stalling tactic that will delay progress.
"Many existing schools are in need of substantial repairs, and the
longer it takes, the greater the cost," says Assistant State Attorney
Countryman. "A huge percentage of our taxes goes toward our schools,
and I don't think most people begrudge that. The question is how it's
being spent."
Similarly, in Miami-Dade County, teachers and parents charge that an
unresponsive board has left schools to deteriorate year after
year. "Many school districts just don't have the money, but here in
Miami-Dade County that's not the problem at all. There are billions
of dollars flowing every year. They just can't seem to produce
results with that money," Novack says. "The only questions the policy
makers are considering are: Do they fix it or do they continue to
ignore it? That's not a choice. You must fix these buildings that are
occupied by thousands of students every day."
The Miami-Dade school safety department offers principals a checklist
to help them deal effectively with mold problems. Several principals -
- including Jeanne Friedman, principal at Miami Beach Senior High
where Novack's son attends school -- said the department responded
quickly to mold issues at their schools.
"The school districts have become experts at shunning parents away
and discouraging their calls for improvement," says Novack, who has
collected a scrapbook of photos of mold problems in several
schools. "The district has been operating in the dark for years, and
they've been actively avoiding letting the public know what's going
on."
The only real solution, says Dr. Moselle, is to tear down infected
buildings and rebuild mold-resistant structures. "We have to spend
the money up front and do preventive work, then we won't have to keep
tearing down schools and redoing them, and spending on medical care."
Mary MacFie has worked with School Board members and others in the
community to organize workshops to help inform parents about the
dangers of mold and symptoms to watch for. Her daughter Heather, now
15, has moved on to Cypress Bay High in Weston, a new school built
with mold prevention in mind. Her health is much improved now, but
MacFie doesn't rest. School administrators are on notice that her
daughter may not be placed in a portable classroom. A grove of them
stands next to the school ready to absorb the impending overflow.
"They're swearing to me that my daughter won't be put into a
portable, but what about everybody else? Should I shut up when other
people might be sick? I have people mad at me because I won't stop
talking about mold," she says. "But I don't know how to make people
realize how serious this really is. The children's health is at risk,
and the teachers' health is at risk."
THE CALL TO ACTION
It is clear that parents and other concerned citizens must join the
effort to clean up our schools. "I wish we had parental involvement,"
says West Kendall media specialist Karen Sick, "because once the
parents start screaming, the district starts listening." Part of the
problem, she says, is that parents don't realize there are health
problems at the school. "A parent walking into our school wouldn't
see the health problems that the teachers are having. Their kids
might come home with symptoms but they think it's the flu or
allergies."
Paul Novack agrees. "Let the public know we don't have to accept the
status quo -- if they can't provide a safe and secure environment for
our children, we are not helpless to change things. What's most
important is the well-being and education of our community's
children."
Help for Improving Indoor Air Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides several resources
for mold information and control: Mold Remediation in Schools and
Commercial Buildings: A guide that includes information on how to
recognize mold in large buildings and what must be done to remove it
(EPA 402-K-01-001 or www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/mold_remediation.html
IAQ Tools for Schools Kit: A guided program for parents and teachers
to work with administrators in getting their schools tested and mold
removed, the kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of
action that will maintain or improve indoor air quality using common-
sense activities and in-house staff. Co-sponsored by the National
Education Association, National PTA, Council for American Private
Education, Association for School Business Officials, American
Federation of Teachers and the American Lung Association (EPA-402-K-
02-005 or http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html).
To order these and other brochures on indoor air quality, visit the
EPA web site at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs or mail or call requests to
either address below. Use the EPA Document Number when ordering.
IAQ INFO
P.O. Box 37133, Washington, DC 20013-7133
800-438-4318/703-356-4020
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 42419
800-490-9198
Trish Riley is a freelance writer specializing in health issues. She
lives in Sunrise.
discusses southern Florida, I thought it generally showed the
bureaucracy of school distrcits and where children fit in their
agenda. I tried to put in the link but it would not work so here is
the article, kind of long but hopefully worthwhile:
Toxic Schools
By Trish Riley
Mold problems are widespread in humid South Florida -- affecting the
health of teachers and students, while school boards throughout the
region lag in solving the problem.
One South Florida teacher spent a year working in a damp classroom,
well aware that mold was growing in the corners and ceiling and
clinging to the walls. She filed complaints and documented incidents
and responses. She developed a cold, a yeast infection, a virus, a
respiratory illness. She was treated for allergies. She became so
tired she couldn't do anything but sleep when she was off work. She
got what they call "foggy brain syndrome" -- she just couldn't
concentrate on things long enough to solve them. There were
indications of lupus. Finally her doctor told her she just couldn't
go back to that moldy room -- it was ruining her health. Afraid to
jeopardize her court-won pension and insurance settlement, she can't
reveal her identity, but she's now on permanent disability. Although
her health has improved since getting out of the moldy classroom, she
experiences recurrences whenever she encounters any molds, chemicals,
stress or even average physical exertion.
Her reaction was severe, but it demonstrates what long-term exposure
to mold can do. Some people take longer to react to toxins in their
environment than others, but it is not uncommon for immune systems to
lose resistance to constant attacks. Children with immature systems
and those already disabled with asthma and allergies are at
particular risk.
Assessing the risk
If your child is in school, there's at least some possibility of
daily exposure to mold and mildew. Some studies estimate that half
the public schools in this country have unsatisfactory air quality
issues -- and in humid South Florida, the incidence of mold in
schools is potentially even higher. The exposure can cause serious
health problems.
Jonathan Lawson, a sixth-grader at Western Pines Middle School in
Royal Palm Beach, had to leave his classroom 14 times over the first
20 days of school, calling home and telling his mother he couldn't
breathe. "He tells me, 'It feels like someone's sitting on my chest --
I can't take it anymore,'" says his mother, Cynthia Lawson. "I'm
very frustrated. He's having such a hard time with his grades. It was
the same last year at Golden Globe Elementary next door. The nurses
saved Jonathan on more than one occasion."
Problems like these are widespread in South Florida, and although
school officials seem now to be addressing the problem, progress is
slow.
"Schools have mold for a variety of reasons," says Chris Skerlec,
environmental control officer for Palm Beach County Schools, whose
office investigates about 300 indoor air quality complaints a
year. "Mold spores are everywhere. You cannot prevent them," he says.
However, "you can keep the humidity low, keep the place dry and
clean. You can cure 95 percent of your air quality issues. It's not
rocket science."
Maybe not, but it is expensive science. For example, 24 Palm Beach
County schools were found to have a faulty air conditioning system
designed by W.R. Frizzell. The firm filed bankruptcy before the
school board could collect a judgment, so the school received only
$450,000 in restitution. The Palm Beach Post reported that repairs on
only ten of the affected schools were estimated to cost $20 million.
Those funds were set aside, according to school board members, but
only three of the 10 schools were fixed, with two more scheduled to
be fixed this year.
A preliminary report to the Broward School Board suggests a potential
cost of $2.5 billion to renovate schools with a variety of
maintenance problems, including mold abatement. A capital improvement
plan from 1998 committed $44 million to clean up mold problems in 155
schools over a five-year period, but an internal audit pointed up
problems with meeting the plans goals last year.
Jeff Moquin, director of risk management for the Broward School
Board, says that he deals with mold and moisture issues in the
schools daily. "We have water intrusion through leaks or humidity
issues with the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)
systems. Some of these issues require design time, bidding the job
out to a contractor and time to complete the work, and some of the
money only became available this year. (Of those identified in the
1998 plan), we have 10 to 12 schools 100 percent complete, with 90
schools three-quarters done. Some are in the design phase, others are
in construction."
In Miami-Dade, "We're looking at correcting mold situations at
approximately 15 schools," says John Schuster, spokesperson for Miami-
Dade Public Schools. "It's a range of things that need to be
corrected. We find a lot of situations arise because we're dealing
with older buildings that may have older AC systems and/or water
intrusion. It may be something as simple as replacing ceiling tiles
to having to arrange a water seal for an entire roof."
But involved Miami-Dade parents and teachers say the board is not
doing nearly enough to keep the school buildings maintained. "The
Miami-Dade public school district has squandered hundreds of millions
of public dollars intended for school construction and maintenance.
Meanwhile, it has grossly neglected the condition of virtually all of
its school facilities," says Surfside Mayor Paul Novack, who has been
appointed to a state committee assigned to oversee Miami-Dade
schools.
FIGHTING THE FIGHT
The Florida weather -- damp, hot and humid -- doesn't help. Mold will
grow here, just as it has always grown here. There are at least 1,000
types of fungus commonly found in North American buildings, and 200
are known to be harmful to humans. While it's unlikely that the crud
in your shower is harmful, exposure to certain mold strains can cause
allergic reactions and illness in some people, including those who
develop sensitivity after long-term exposure, such as teachers.
Dr. Herbert Moselle, an allergist in Plantation for the past 34
years, says there have always been mold problems, no worse today than
they ever were. "I always have teachers -- a minimum of 10 a week
come through this office," he says. Patients are first advised to
eliminate their exposure to the allergen. The next line of treatment
is with antihistamines and similar products, finally immunotherapy --
shots administered weekly over a long period of time. But to treat
for molds, doctors must identify the cause. If parents aren't aware
there's a mold problem at school, it may take longer to determine
what's causing their child's allergic symptoms.
Mary MacFie spent years taking her daughter Heather to specialists --
even as far away as New York -- but none were able to diagnose her
vomiting, her migraines, her face so swollen she couldn't see.
Heather's teachers suggested that her parents come talk to them, but
MacFie thought there was no point: Doctors hadn't figured out what
was wrong with her daughter, what could they know? Finally a teacher
took her aside and told her that many of the teachers at the school,
the Western High Annex in Sunrise, were sick with the same symptoms.
"Mold, they told me. I said, 'What are you talking about? Spray it
with bleach, call the health department, call OSHA.' 'We have,' they
said. 'It doesn't do any good,'" MacFie says.
Teachers can be confined to the same classroom all day long for years
on end. Even though their health is affected, many are reluctant to
speak up.
One way to break through a bureaucratic wall is the American way,
with lawsuits. Fort Lauderdale attorney Bob McKee represents 32
students and teachers across Palm Beach and Broward counties. "I get
100 calls a month, but I can only take on a few more cases each
month. I think the way to represent is in a group suit," McKee says.
John Countryman, assistant state attorney for Broward County, has
interviewed more than 100 teachers and parents affected by mold in
their schools in preparation of a report to be presented to a grand
jury for review this spring. A grand jury review of school
construction in 1997 revealed an unsavory picture of funds wasted on
inferior construction.
Rapid overdevelopment throughout South Florida called for quick
schools. Tight budgets led to faulty design and shoddy work. In Palm
Beach County, several schools' mildew problems have been linked to a
contractor that was fired from the job. In Broward, architect Donald
Singer was held to blame for poor design of nine schools, and
ultimately paid a settlement of $750,000. Architectural firm Miller,
Meier, Kenyon and Cooper was responsible for the faulty design of
another five Broward schools, but has gone out of business. In Miami-
Dade, the list of contractor failures is embarrassingly long. "Over
the last 19 years we've spent $6 billion on facilities alone," Novack
says, "yet the public has very little to show for that investment."
Across all three counties, cleanup efforts have been piecemeal at
best. The ceiling at Western High looks like a checkerboard of tiles
of various ages, styles and colors because when mold got into the
ceiling, tiles were replaced one at a time. But since mold spores are
airborne and attach themselves to any organic material, including
wood, paper, fabric and carpets, this has proven an ineffective means
of eradicating the problem.
"We had mushrooms growing on the floors from the moisture seeping
up," says Dick Keen of his portable classroom at the Western
Annex. "My throat swelled up, lymph glands were hurting and I was
missing a lot of school. I went to the allergist and he told me it
was mold, no doubt about it. Finally my floor got so weak a student
stepped right through it. When they pulled it up there was a half-
inch of this gelatinous slime. They replaced it in pieces, and with
the same wood. The worst thing is they're thinking about putting kids
back in those portables."
SOLUTIONS
Palm Beach County school officials say they're dealing with problems
as they find them, although they are reluctant to admit any real
problems exist. "We did find mold present at Banyan Elementary School
three years ago and replaced the air conditioning system. Since then
we have looked at all of our other schools with similar air
conditioning systems, but have not found any other problems," says
spokesman Nat Harrington. Meanwhile, Cynthia Lawson is left to wonder
why her son can't breathe at the Royal Palm school he attends.
The board has partnered with the American Lung Association in its
Asthma Free Schools project, providing air-quality training to staff
at 20 schools last year and 20 more this year. "The schools are doing
what they can," says Cindy Vallo, with the American Lung Association
of Southeast Florida. "The key is to prevent mold by keeping things
clean and dry. If you've got a leak, fix it and make sure it's dried
within 24 hours."
The Broward School Board, under pressure from the state attorney's
office, is developing another maintenance, repair and construction
plan that includes mold and mildew remediation throughout the
district. A new bidding prequalification process helps to eliminate
incapable construction companies, and new schools have been designed
with mold and mildew prevention in mind. Open breezeways and
classroom windows provide better ventilation and most floors are
tiled rather than carpeted. Thermostats are monitored and teams work
full-time maintaining heating and air conditioning ventilation
systems. Broward Superintendent Frank Till recently announced a plan
to hire an administrator who will be responsible for addressing mold
issues. Some view the move with relief; others see it as another
stalling tactic that will delay progress.
"Many existing schools are in need of substantial repairs, and the
longer it takes, the greater the cost," says Assistant State Attorney
Countryman. "A huge percentage of our taxes goes toward our schools,
and I don't think most people begrudge that. The question is how it's
being spent."
Similarly, in Miami-Dade County, teachers and parents charge that an
unresponsive board has left schools to deteriorate year after
year. "Many school districts just don't have the money, but here in
Miami-Dade County that's not the problem at all. There are billions
of dollars flowing every year. They just can't seem to produce
results with that money," Novack says. "The only questions the policy
makers are considering are: Do they fix it or do they continue to
ignore it? That's not a choice. You must fix these buildings that are
occupied by thousands of students every day."
The Miami-Dade school safety department offers principals a checklist
to help them deal effectively with mold problems. Several principals -
- including Jeanne Friedman, principal at Miami Beach Senior High
where Novack's son attends school -- said the department responded
quickly to mold issues at their schools.
"The school districts have become experts at shunning parents away
and discouraging their calls for improvement," says Novack, who has
collected a scrapbook of photos of mold problems in several
schools. "The district has been operating in the dark for years, and
they've been actively avoiding letting the public know what's going
on."
The only real solution, says Dr. Moselle, is to tear down infected
buildings and rebuild mold-resistant structures. "We have to spend
the money up front and do preventive work, then we won't have to keep
tearing down schools and redoing them, and spending on medical care."
Mary MacFie has worked with School Board members and others in the
community to organize workshops to help inform parents about the
dangers of mold and symptoms to watch for. Her daughter Heather, now
15, has moved on to Cypress Bay High in Weston, a new school built
with mold prevention in mind. Her health is much improved now, but
MacFie doesn't rest. School administrators are on notice that her
daughter may not be placed in a portable classroom. A grove of them
stands next to the school ready to absorb the impending overflow.
"They're swearing to me that my daughter won't be put into a
portable, but what about everybody else? Should I shut up when other
people might be sick? I have people mad at me because I won't stop
talking about mold," she says. "But I don't know how to make people
realize how serious this really is. The children's health is at risk,
and the teachers' health is at risk."
THE CALL TO ACTION
It is clear that parents and other concerned citizens must join the
effort to clean up our schools. "I wish we had parental involvement,"
says West Kendall media specialist Karen Sick, "because once the
parents start screaming, the district starts listening." Part of the
problem, she says, is that parents don't realize there are health
problems at the school. "A parent walking into our school wouldn't
see the health problems that the teachers are having. Their kids
might come home with symptoms but they think it's the flu or
allergies."
Paul Novack agrees. "Let the public know we don't have to accept the
status quo -- if they can't provide a safe and secure environment for
our children, we are not helpless to change things. What's most
important is the well-being and education of our community's
children."
Help for Improving Indoor Air Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides several resources
for mold information and control: Mold Remediation in Schools and
Commercial Buildings: A guide that includes information on how to
recognize mold in large buildings and what must be done to remove it
(EPA 402-K-01-001 or www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/mold_remediation.html
IAQ Tools for Schools Kit: A guided program for parents and teachers
to work with administrators in getting their schools tested and mold
removed, the kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of
action that will maintain or improve indoor air quality using common-
sense activities and in-house staff. Co-sponsored by the National
Education Association, National PTA, Council for American Private
Education, Association for School Business Officials, American
Federation of Teachers and the American Lung Association (EPA-402-K-
02-005 or http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html).
To order these and other brochures on indoor air quality, visit the
EPA web site at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs or mail or call requests to
either address below. Use the EPA Document Number when ordering.
IAQ INFO
P.O. Box 37133, Washington, DC 20013-7133
800-438-4318/703-356-4020
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 42419
800-490-9198
Trish Riley is a freelance writer specializing in health issues. She
lives in Sunrise.
Robin Clevenger
When I was in gradeschool, we used to jump up to see if we could hit the
overhead pipes. Then dust would rain down on us because the insulation was
so old (my mom went to gradeschool in the same building). Asbestos dust
actually. They finally took it out a few years after I left I think. Wonder
how much of it I got on my hair, skin, lungs in those years.
Blue Skies,
-Robin-
overhead pipes. Then dust would rain down on us because the insulation was
so old (my mom went to gradeschool in the same building). Asbestos dust
actually. They finally took it out a few years after I left I think. Wonder
how much of it I got on my hair, skin, lungs in those years.
Blue Skies,
-Robin-