School to test for mold, asbestos

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Posted on Sat, Jan. 14, 2006

School to test for mold, asbestos

By a King

CA

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/education/13626174

..htm

CONTRA COSTA TIMESA teacher's fear that students and staff have been

exposed to a toxic form of mold and asbestos on the aging Liberty

High School campus has prompted the school to begin its own testing

and move her class to a portable.

English teacher and her students were moved out of the S-

wing after samples from two mold colonies she obtained tested

positive for moderately high amounts of stachybotrys. This form of

black mold can affect respiratory and immune systems.

endured an ongoing illness in December that she believes is

related to an allergy that this type of mold can cause.

Also at issue is asbestos tile in the nearby 40-year-old Nash wing,

which was potentially made more dangerous by cutting done during an

ongoing construction project, said.

In an e-mail sent to the Liberty staff this week, said she had

two samples of the mold in her classroom tested by an independent

lab. She told on-site and district employees of her findings in

December and spoke at a Liberty Union School District board meeting

this week.

" We all share the common goal of protecting the health of our

students, " the teacher told the board.

Certified industrial hygienist Connor said that mold is

everywhere and excess water makes it worse.

" If you just have a colony of stachybotrys, it is unlikely that it

is producing enough of these toxins for people to get sick. It would

have to be an extreme situation, " he said.

In her e-mail, said it is common knowledge among Liberty

teachers that tiles in Nash Hall's book room contain non-friable

asbestos, the type that when disturbed by cutting can become air-

borne.

She said that teachers and students who used that room for copying

and gathering textbooks may have been exposed to potential asbestos

when the flooring was cut during an ongoing construction project.

took a loose piece of tile from the hall to a lab this week,

and 5 percent of asbestos was detected, which she said is an amount

that could be harmful.

Connor, however, said it depends on how much you inhale.

" It is not harmful unless you are inhaling asbestos fibers, " he

said. " You can have asbestos in a building and not have a problem. "

In response to 's concerns about mold, the district hired RGA

Environmental to conduct air sample tests last Saturday in the S-

wing. Those results are expected early next week.

" Our No. 1 priority has always been a safe environment for students

and staff, " Superintendent Dan said.

Air tests could determine whether there is a high concentration of

spores in the air. Air sampling should be done inside and outside

the classroom, Connor said.

At the board meeting, trustee Joanne Byer said the district is aware

of the potential problem and that it will decide what to do once the

air test results are in.

When heavy rains hit 's former classroom in November,

maintenance staff removed the wall panels and ceiling tiles, the

superintendent said.

" I felt that this was a good plan until I learned from the state

department of health that this particular kind of mold becomes more

potent when it is dried out and disturbed as would happen in any

kind of construction project, " wrote.

The district is still researching whether the staff was exposed by

renovating that room, the superintendent said. The school has never

dealt with mold or asbestos issues in the past, he said.

" We are reviewing the methods that were used by our maintenance

staff to make sure they met all appropriate guidelines and

regulations, " Dan said.

Liberty principal Tim Halloran said school administration contacted

maintenance and operations staff as soon as they learned of the

potential mold in mid-November. He said that was moved

out of her former classroom and into a portable in mid-December as a

precautionary measure.

At the board meeting, teachers union representative Simon said

there could be similar mold problems at Freedom and Heritage high

schools and that a district-wide approach should be taken.

urged district leaders to begin a public dialogue about

health and safety, hire a certified environmental consultant,

appoint a remediation manager and adopt an environmental assessment

plan. In her e-mail, she urged her colleagues to report

environmental problems inside classrooms.

" I don't see this issue as an employment issue or a political issue,

but a basic health and safety issue that needs to be addressed in a

way that reassures the school community of being informed on both

findings and planning measures, " wrote.

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a King covers education in far East County. Reach her at 925-779-

7189 or pking@....

[Guest guest]

> " If you just have a colony of stachybotrys, it is unlikely that it

is producing enough of these toxins for people to get sick. It would

have to be an extreme situation, " he said. <

At North Tahoe High school, we had two teachers become permanently

disabled by working in close proximity to a colony in their office

that was " about the size of a baseball " .

Nobody believes them. They are too sick to work and all their fellow

teachers accuse them of malingering and " taking advantage of the

system " and " living the life of luxury on disability pay " .

Right!

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