Health alarm at high school

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Health alarm at high school

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SectionID=24 & SubSectionID=270 & ArticleID=29350 & TM=10932.98

Bermuda Sun - Bermuda

Teachers at CedarBridge Academy are taking more trips to the doctors

because of allergies and respiratory problems. They say the Ministry

of Education and CedarBridge administration are turning a blind eye

to the problems they believe are caused by building mould.

One teacher, who does not want to be identified, has been off work

for 18 months and has now been placed on medical leave.­ She has

written a formal letter of complaint to chief education officer Dr.

ph and accuses the Department of Education of

failing to ensure her health and safety while at work.

The teacher, who has the backing of the Bermuda Union of Teachers

(BUT), said she believes she should receive financial compensation

for her decline in health and is seeking legal advice. She says

other teachers are being treated for asthma, allergies and are

experiencing sinus problems.

The home economics teacher is the first to lodge a formal complaint,

but other teachers at CedarBridge who spoke to the Bermuda Sun on

condition of anonymity, confirmed allergies and respiratory problems

are widespread.

One teacher said: " There is a serious mould problem. "

The teacher said mould was prevalent in North Block, which houses

the science, home economics, business classes and physical education

room and the cafeteria.

She said last month a teacher had an independent study done, which

revealed the existence of mould at theschool. BUT general secretary

confirmed that was the case.

Another teacher said there are also problems in South Block, which

houses the library, and the Central Block, where administration is

located.

Teachers have complained of lightheadedness, headaches, nausea and

vomiting, even joint pain. Those with allergies and asthmas have

been making more frequent visits to their doctors and taking

additional medications to ease symptoms.

It is not known if many students have been affected, although the

teacher who lodged the complaint said students had complained

about " feeling bad in some classes " .

One teacher said teachers and students have reported smelling an

odour in a class, which experts say is a sign of mould.

We were also told that one telling sign is that symptoms disappear

when teachers are out of school, over the weekend for example, but

reoccur when they return to their classrooms for an extended period.

One former CedarBridge teacher said mould has been a problem for

several years and that the administration had been informed, but

failed to tackle it. " The ceiling tile was green with mould and a

lot of them still are, " the teacher said.

The teacher experienced respiratory problems he believes were caused

by the mould and he eventually needed to have surgery for

sinusitis. " I spent most nights sitting up in bed because I couldn't

breathe, " the teacher said.

He said he could not prove mould was the culprit, but when he

switched schools, he felt " one hundred per cent better "

Experts we spoke to this week cited several causes — a series of

roof leaks and problems with the air-conditioning system,

specifically the ducts. Because the air-conditioning system is

turned off at night, the humidity rises, which contributes to the

growth of mould. We were also told CedarBridge does not have a large

budget that would enable the necessary remedial work, which would be

costly, to be carried out.

A weakness in facilities management at the school is a contributing

factor, one source told us: " The knowledge just isn't there " .

Mr. confirmed a complaint had been lodged by a teacher and

that to date there had been no response from the Ministry.

He said: " She came to me on a number of occasions talking about this

situation. (School) facilities in general are discussed with the

Ministry on a monthly basis. We've had no reports from the

government of anything that is being done to alleviate the problems

at any building "

He said a ministry official informed him on Wednesday that

CedarBridge principal Kalmar s said there is no evidence of

problems at the school.

There was no response from the Ministry at press time last night.

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