Mold in Our Schools

Many officials are monitoring classrooms for high moisture levels and trying to control mold. You may not realize that mold is constantly present in the air. Humid and damp conditions cause it to grow out of control. This can cause about half of the students to have runny noses, sneezing and sinus problems with congestion. Moldy conditions cause special problems and can be very dangerous to students with other respiratory problems. Students with asthma can have difficulty breathing.

Mold indicates an underlying water or moisture issue. The basic problem must be remedied before any other work is completed. Materials that absorbed the water should be replaced. Nonporous areas can be treated with disinfectant and soap and water.

Water can leak into walls from the roof or it can seep in the floors or come in from areas of standing or flooded water. Sometimes air conditioners are turned off inside schools to save money during the summer. This causes lack of circulating air. Moist areas that don't actually have water damage, but do have high humidity levels, can also grow mold.

If carpet has been used in those areas, it should be removed. Everything else that children come in contact with should be thoroughly washed and disinfected to help prevent new mold growth.

Roofs should be continually checked and and leaks repaired. Yes, it will be expensive, but it is much more costly to repair entire classrooms and to clean up moldy classrooms. That doesn't even include the doctor bills and days that children will be absent because of illness.

Parents should be aware of potential problems and concerns. If their child has continuous respiratory illness, they should talk to the school administrators to see if a moldy classroom could be the cause. Teachers who observe questionable areas should be able to call attention to possible mold in their classrooms and get the help needed to clear the area of molds.

And be aware, a new building can have a leak or lack of air movement causing moldy conditions.