Though not part of the approved school curriculum, mold that is found in the school is really a science experiment. Anywhere on earth that there is food and water, something will grow. It can be the deepest ocean or highest mountain. It can be the north pole or south pole or anywhere in between. That scientific fact is that books, paper, wood floors, drywall, dust, or any other material or any other substrate that can grow mold will grow mold within 48 hours of leaks or high moisture occurring.
The most common sources of mold problems in a school are:
The first step in preventing recurrence of mold is determining the conditions that were mold conducive. If mold grew in a school over the summer because the air conditioning was not run, or there are roof leaks, or any other reason, it will return if the cause of mold is not corrected.
Failure to correct the underlying cause of environmental hazards as well as the hazard itself, is a waste of money, and serves to mislead parents, administration and faculty into believing that the school mold environment is safe. In school we learned to consider both cause and effect. The same applies in the process of creating healthy indoor air quality.
Schools Can Get Help to Keep our Children Safe from Mold
The EPA provides great online tools available to learn the issues and solutions to mold problems. These are great general guidelines, but can’t address individual conditions. Mold problems are often complicated by being the result of several underlying conditions that require expertise in multiple construction fields.
Unfortunately, learning to use and to then implement these tools is often much tougher than obtaining them. Professional assistance is a good option to get an environmental awareness and mold prevention program up and running properly. Once established, existing staff can usually keep the program running.
Usually an indoor air quality (IAQ) program process starts with an initial site assessment, or information gathering session. The environmental risks are evaluated and appropriate tests then conducted. These could include mold and allergen testing. If there was flooding or sewage backups, testing for a number of common infectious diseases should be added.
An educational staff can’t be expected to have the full knowledge to implement a program, but often, once in place, the good health of school occupants can be maintained through the corrections and adjustments made in the facility. There are several companies that have assessment and monitoring programs that include a yearly Indoor Air Quality Certificate for posting after the assessment and completion of any appropriate testing and corrections.
School Professionals and Surviving the School Building Mold Science Project
With the return of students to school, many school districts are fighting environmental and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) challenges, particularly mold problems. When we experience any school environmental issue such as mold, it can be front page headlines, TV, talk show fodder and Facebook news feed material.
Environmental issues in schools are not “just another student health issue”. These problems are a public relations nightmare, a staff human relations mine field, a facility management challenge, a budget buster, a political fiasco and a liability time bomb.
It’s not just mold. The environmental issues that can confront a school district and its administration include:
Asthma Triggers
Mold
Lead in drinking water
Lead dust
Asbestos
Radon
Communicable diseases
Legionella
Formaldehyde
Insects or insect treatment chemicals
Carbon monoxide
Toxins (bus and car fumes as one example) brought in through HVAC “fresh air” systems
The sources for the exposures vary widely and unpredictably. Many of the problems started with compliance mandates that did not anticipate the environmental consequence. As an example, energy saving equipment and designs can create indoor air quality potential issues. Even asbestos started with well-intended fire protection mandates. The most common sources of environmental problems in schools include:
HVAC design mistakes
Moisture and leak problems
Original material selection
Material and equipment defects
Mixtures of events and construction conditions
Budget constraints limiting prudent maintenance
Problems created during renovations
Mold exposures are a timely example of how this whole environmental freight train gets rolling. The reason we find many mold problems when students return to school at the end of summer makes sense when looking at the most common sources of mold contaminations:
Even the very best school environmental plan is only a meaningless series of words until there is action and accountability. For action to happen there needs to be someone in charge with the authority to make things happen.
The EPA Tools for Schools program can provide a good background for “in house” management if that is the best method for the school district’s circumstances. Hiring an outside consultant is another approach which does have its benefits. It can allow for outside review and add credibility to the image that a school is taking prudent measures to protect the health of students and employees. Outside consultants have the advantage of not being subjected to pressure from school district staff.
To Do List for everyday facility environmental planning:
Do
Establish a written system in place
Hire or assign a “person in charge”
Share the program and outline procedures for all staff
Create a communication system process for problem identification
Communicate needs such budgetary requirements to address potential problems
Correct the underlying causes that allowed contaminations to occur
Do not
Try to hide environmental problems
Paint over or disguise real issues
Withhold information such as bad lab testing results
To Do List for Environmental Events such as floods or discovered environmental risks such as mold, asbestos, contagions, pests:
Bring in qualified professionals immediately
Assign a spokesperson to handle media and public inquiries
Take action to limit personal exposures
Take all possible action to mitigate the damage to people or property
Communicate with staff and students about any health risks
Communicate with the solicitor for the school
Damage good will by hiding the situation from the public
Allow exposures to occur when a risk is first suspected
Risk personal safety by having issues cleaned before they are defined ‘
Selecting the right staff member or outside professional is the key to success of every system put into action. The best plan in the wrong hands can be worse than no plan at all. The advantage of engaging a staff employee may be constant on-site monitoring and in some instances cost savings. The potential advantages of an outside firm are access to specialists and an “on call” presence not influenced by the staff at the facilities.
Potential considerations in hiring an indoor air quality (IAQ) coordinator or team.
Training and credentials in the field
Experience and relationships in the related industries
Ability to evaluate conditions, write a plan and make and implement recommendations
Skill in testing for potential exposures or independent relationships in the field
A policy of not releasing suspected condition information unless the designated contact
An ability to deal with the media when authorized as the contact.
Building and executing a plan to maintain and healthy environment is school buildings is a win-win for all parties. From the asthmatic student who is avoiding chronic events, to the staff and tax payers, all can benefit from doing the best possible indoor air quality.
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