Page 14 - Summer2011

Over the past decade, there has been an increased aware-ness among clinicians and the general public that sensitiv-ity to mold is a significant cause of allergic diseases. These diseases include allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic fungal sinusitis, bronchopulmonary mycoses, and hyper-sensitivity pneumonitis [1•]. The publicity around “sick buildings” has made parents more aware of increased ill-ness at the start of the school year, which has led to the identification of mold contamination in a number of pub-lic schools nationwide. Although there has been a dramatic increase in the awareness of the health problems caused by indoor mold exposure, as well as increased resources to remediate these problems, there is a notable lack of stan-dardization for testing indoor air quality.

The extent of mold contamination in public schools has yet to be fully determined. In each school, a wide range of health problems, from minor to very serious, is attrib-uted to indoor mold exposure. In some of these cases, the health issues clear up once the building is remediated. However, in other cases, the patient’s health is not regained. For the most part, there has been no consistent method for assessing the health impact of mold exposure among students, teachers, and staff members.

Government agencies and state organizations have also recognized the detrimental impact that exposure to high concentrations of mold can have on an individual’s health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that molds can trigger asthma attacks in allergic individuals, in

addition to immediate or delayed allergic reactions in sen-sitive individuals [2••]. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released findings that doc-umented building-related asthma in office workers when mold is present in the workplace [3]. The National Insti-tutes of Health (NIH) have linked environmental molds with allergic rhinitis [4]. The Connecticut Education Asso-ciation (CEA) declared that 68% of the schools in the state have an air quality problem, and many of the teachers, stu-dents, and staff complain of allergic symptoms [5]. The Connecticut State Legislature is considering a bill that addresses air quality in schools [6]. In addition, the Gov-ernment Accounting Office (GAO) surveyed 10 school dis-tricts and estimated that $112 billion is needed to repair or upgrade schools to provide a healthy indoor environment for students [7].

The overall indoor air quality of schools in the United States needs to be examined closely. Mold exposure result-ing frommoisture damage has run rampant, and is becom-ing a serious health issue in school-age children and their teachers. Standards are needed to ensure acceptable air quality in schools.

The EPA provides extensive information about the health impact of indoor air pollution, and is concerned about the air quality in public schools. Their web site states that “20% of the US population, nearly 55 million people, spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools. Studies show that one half of our nation’s 115,000 schools have problems linked to indoor air qual-ity. Students are at greater risk because of the hours spent in school facilities, and because children are especially susceptible to pollutants” [2••].

The EPA also provides detailed information about the health hazards of mold-contaminated schools, and has created the “Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools” kit to help teachers, administrators, and parents identify, repair, and prevent mold problems in schools [2••]. However, they also state that there are no quantitative standards for determining what level of mold con-tamination is hazardous. Also lacking are standards for testing indoor air quality.

This paper profiles the impact of mold exposure on the health of students, teachers, and staff in two public ele-mentary schools in Connecticut, and explains how the air quality in each school was tested, and how the health of teachers and students was assessed. It also proposes stan-dards for testing indoor air quality and evaluating the health impact of indoor mold exposure on students, teachers, and staff members.