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Frequently
Asked Questions About
School Mould
Problems
[October 20, 2003]
Q.
I am writing
this letter because I am very concerned about the Elementary
School [Baltimore, Maryland] my children attend. A letter was
distributed today that mould has been found in their library and it
was being "cleaned". I entered the library and the mould smell
took my breath away. Upon picking up one of the books, I realized
the pages contained a green dusty substance. It is my belief that
the school is covering up a problem greater than they want to
admit. Several students have had unexplained nose bleeds, rashes,
mouth sores and a teacher recently had a respiratory infection
associated with mould. This is not the first outbreak of mould in
our school. At a recent PTA meeting, the Principal was asked if
the mould had been taken care of in the Kindergarten class rooms
and she replied "yes". Failing to mention that it was now a
problem in the library. Can you please point me in the right
direction to have our school analyzed? The school will not
provide documents stating what kind of mould it is nor do I believe
they are effectively handling the problem. Apparently, the school
feels, you can just wash away the mould. Please offer any advise
you can.
A.
If you so approve and desire, we can post your email [including
the actual Baltimore school name and address that have been
deleted in this posting of your question] on our websites to
help persuade your children's school to do safe and effective
mould inspection, testing, and remediation, and to stop harming
the students' and staff's health by having them study and work
in mould infestation. It would help your cause big-time if you
would use our do it yourself mould test kits to do your own
testing of your children's classrooms and outward air flow form
the heating/cooling duct register in your child's classroom.
Once you have back our mould laboratory results documenting a
serious mould problem, you cold then send a certified letter
demanding action to the school principal, school board members,
school superintendent, local health department, county education
department, state health department, state health department,
your state's Occupational and Safety Administration [OHSA], and
the local news media [newspapers, radio and TV stations]. The
children and staff should be transferred to mould-safe quarters
until the school has been safely and effectively mould inspected,
tested, and remediated in every classroom, restroom, library,
etc. You should also read our new book
mould Legal Guide.
[Sept. 27, 2003]
Q.
I'm looking for your help, please. I am working in a school that
had a HUGE mould problem this past summer. The administration says
that the custodial staff "took care of it" and that it is no
longer an issue. I myself, as well as many others in the building,
am having respiratory problems that I believe are being caused by
the mould. Isn't this an unsafe working/learning situation? Can you
help, or guide me to someone that can?
A. Your school's custodial staff probably does not have the mould
training, expertise, and experience to test for and remove mould
problems in your school building. Because building occupants are
experiencing respiratory problems, you know that the mould work
done by the custodians was inadequate and ineffective. You can
document the existence of mould problems in your classroom,
heating/cooling system, and elsewhere in the building by buying
and using our do it yourself mould test kits with our expert mould
laboratory mould identification. Visit:
Mould Mart Once you have received the mould
test lab results that document a problem, in comparison to an
outdoor mould control test, you should send a copy of the lab
results by certified mail [demanding mould inspection, testing,
and remediation be done by trained mould professionals] to your
school principal, superintendent, each member of the school
board, state department of education, local health department,
county health department, state health department, your state
Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and to local news
media.
[May 26, 2003]
Q. I want to know how to go
about having a school inspected for mould? My daughter is in
kindergarten and has been sick most of the school year. and now is
getting more frequent. she has headaches, stomach aches, and lots
of sore throats. please tell me were to start.
A. Start with a certified
letter to the school principal asking for a complete mould
inspection and mould testing of the school. If the principal does
not take action, send a separate certified letter to the school
superintendent. If he or she fails to act, send a separate
certified letter to each and every school board member. If that
doesn't work write a letter to the editor of your local
newspaper{s]. If the school system is unwilling to pay for
professional inspection and mould tests of the school, take your
own do it-yourself mould tests using our kits with our expert
mould laboratory analysis and mould identification. For mould
test kit info and ordering, please visit:
Mould Mart.
If the lab results show elevated levels of unhealthy airborne mould
spores in the air of one or more school rooms, and/or of the
airflow out of heating/air conditioning duct registers, you use
that test results to demand full-scale professional mould
inspection and mould sampling. If you have mould test results
documenting a problem and the school system continues to ignore
the problem, you bring those test results to the attention of your
local newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, and local and state
health departments, plus the state department of education and the
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
[May 15, 2003]
Q.
I am a custodian at the
_______________ School in _______________. I need your advice
about how to go about getting the school checked for a mould
problem. The school is 3 years old. Every summer since we opened
we have replaced hundreds of ceiling tile, cleaned mould off of
walls, chalkboards, desks, books, etc. The health issue is my main
concern after learning more about it. Both the staff and students
have possible mould health symptoms. The mould problems were caused
from the chilled water pipes causing the insulation to get wet
from the initial start up of the chiller being ruining the
insulation. I truly believe the school board is aware of this
problem. But the school board would rather not deal with it. I am
concerned about my own health and that of the others who feel the
way I do. I need my job, but don't feel that it is right that they
won't even have the building tested. If you could advise me what
to do I would very much appreciate it.
A.
You and your concerned
associates should conduct your own hidden mould problem testing of the air in the
various rooms and air flow out of hvac ducts by using our do it
yourself mould test kits with our expert mould lab analysis. Be sure
to include your school name and school property address so that
both items appear on the mould lab test results, but you can
require that the mould lab results only be faxed and mailed to you.
You or an environmental attorney on your behalf can contact the
school superintendent and/or school board to demand effective mould
remediation if the test results show elevated levels of unhealthy
mould spores. If you are concerned about the possibility of being
fired for complaining about mould infestation, hire the attorney to
represent you and your concerned associates with non-disclosure by
the attorney of who his or her clients are. If the school board
doesn't care, take the results to local newspaper and radio
station and to parent teacher organization. You can also file a
complaint with the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety
Administration. Having students and employees attend school in
unhealthy, mould infested school building is very, very bad. To
order mould test kits, visit:
Mould Mart. To find an environmental attorney in
your area, visit:
Mould Attorney.
More
related topics are found at:
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