Nebraska Parent Needs Assistance

[Guest guest]

On Wed, 29 Dec 1999 SLHMo4@... wrote:

> Dear Sir,

>

> I have been working with my local school district " administrators " since

> Sept. because I suspect high levels of mold, fungus, etc. in my child's

> classroom at school.

> She has never had allergy symptoms until the beginning of school this

year.

> Since that time we have been dealing with allergy type symptoms that have

> escalated into bacterial bronchitis and just last week, bacterial

pneumonia.

>

> The school building is an old (89 years) building with a " new " addition

built

> on. The building has had serious water damage over the years and still

> utilizes the old radiator steam heat. The steam heating pipes run beneath

the

> floor of the lower level and have rusted through, so they leak water

whenever

> the heating system is used. The leaking water seeps onto " dirt " below the

> wooden floors. The wooden floors, by the way, have been covered with

> carpeting to conceal the places where they have rotted through.

>

> Probably that is enough of a description for you.

>

> I ended up calling our State Health Department (Nebraska) and requested

they

> look into it. They did an air particulate study with a Biotest APC-1000.

> They told me it was not mold-specific, but measured all particles in the

air.

>

> The results of the testing revealed these kinds of numbers:

>

> In the NEW building:

>

> .3 Micron 3862

> .5 Micron 921

> 1.0 Micron 185

> 5.0 Micron 2

>

> In my daughter's classroom, and other water damaged rooms, the readings

were:

> .3 Micron 23930

> .5 Micron 9430

> 1.0 Micron 3647

> 5.0 Micron 59

>

> The school district did not want to share these results with me, but I

> obtained them anyway. They claim a " wet extraction " cleaning of the

carpets

> over the Christmas break will take care of any " suspect " allergens that

may

> be causing my daughter's

> symptoms. I have contacted at least 8 other parents who have children in

the

> classroom who have " symptoms " similiar to my daughter's, or worse.

>

> All this being said (thank you for your understanding), can you tell me if

> the " readings " for my daughter's classroom exceed a " normal " or

" acceptable "

> standard?

> What would a normal, healthy room typically have for a reading?

>

> I need help and I am getting none locally. I found you with a search

engine

> and read all of your pages. I apologize for being so bold to take up your

> time, but I am one frustrated, almost desperate mom. Our physician has

> referred my daughter to an allergist, but I am not convinced that is the

> direction I want to go. I am more convinced that my daughter and her

> classmates deserve a healthier environment.

>

> Thank you for any information you can provide.

Response by IAQ Professional:

You should contact Barbara Herskovitz <bherk@...>, a " mold "

activist and Ellie R Goldberg <erg_hk@...>, a school IAQ activist for

help. It sounds as though you have a serious problem. The higher level

of particulates could be due to anything , although wood decay particles

are a possibility. The type of measurement done was useful to indicate a

problem, but further testing for BOTH viable and non-viable mold spores is

needed. (Andersen sampling is done for viable spores, and Burkard for

non-viable.) It is likely that major repairs are needed and the school

does not want to lift the carpet. You should also check the carpet for

mites and other allergens; this you can do yourself by just vacuuming

with a special filter bag available from DACI lab: The cost is I believe

under $100. Do something soon, as there is little fresh air in the winter

to dilute the junk. As a temporary measure, perhaps you can cover areas

where there is most traffic with plastic runner. This is an inexpensive

temporary solution that would reduce the particulates significantly.

I am not familiar with total particulate counts such as these. My

testing is far more specific. You may need an attorney. Be very careful as

exposure to molds can be quite unhealthy.

Response by Mrs. Goldberg:

I have a written a number of articles that may be helpful to you. You

could order them. (See below).

However, if you have been logging your daughter's symptoms and the timing

and location pattern have convinced you that the school is the source of

your child's health problems, my advice is do not send your child into

that environment. It is not simply allergies. Mold is toxic. Do not wait

until you find a test that somehow " proves " what you already know. No

test will be able to convince people to do what is necessary fast enough

to protect your child's health. Get your child out. It may seem radical

but the alternative is subjecting your child to unhealthy conditions and

an unhealthy future.

I believe, with good documentation, that you could argue that the school

is a health hazard to your child and attempt to get the school to provide

an alternative educational program. You may want to find an educational

advocate or lawyer close to you. I also work long distance via phone and

email. Or you may decide to just quit the system and explore the

alternative independent educational resources in your state. It is

easier than having a sick child.

Perhaps if you can find allies (other parents of sick children) to refuse

to continue to endanger their children, it will motivate school officials

to take corrective measures. However, if the school has been neglected,

if water damage has been allowed to go on for a while, there may be

nothing that can be effectively done. The building may not be worth

saving. It may be difficult for people to admit it.

I hope one day to make indoor environmental quality a civil rights issue

for those people who have environmentally triggered illnesses.

However, in the meantime, if the school is unconvinced that the

environment is a problem, you should investigate alternative schools or

alternative programs. There are a lot of educational resources available,

especially via the internet, so that no parent has to be in a position

of choosing between a child's health and education. I am aware that you

may have to choose a path very different from those around you.

But your child will thank you for it.

Keep in touch. Ellie

Ellie Goldberg, MEd., Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics

Promoting health and educational equity for students

with asthma and other chronic health conditions

ERG_HK@...

[Guest guest]

>Hi Barbara,

>

>Please forward this to the interested person. Thanks.

>

>Wooden subfloors in basements over concrete slabs almost always are a major

>source of indoor mold emissions. Soil floors always are.

>

>Viable mold propagule sampling in indoor air is useful but not necessarily

>definitive of the mold exposure. Microbial volatile organic exposure

>assessment shoild be included since MVOCs will always enter living space

air

>from basement subfloors and walls if there is growth there, drawn by stack

>effect, while spores may not.

>

>Particle counts are not reliable as a mold exposure indicator. In terms of

>particle counts, our target is for indoor particles > 0.3 microns to have

>concentrations less than 25% of outdoor concentrations, while meeting the

>minimum ventilation requirement, which for a school classroom is 15

>cfm/person.

>

> S. Walkinshaw, PhD, PEng

>Indoor Air Technologies Inc

>www.indoorair.ca