Educators in Florida are aware that the safety of the children we put in their care is their primary responsibility. They are more than willing to embrace popular threats like potential terrorism or poor nutrition in soda and candy in school vending machines, but how many administrators statewide are willing to step up and take a stand against something that is far more likely to be making Florida students very sick every day? That threat is toxic mold growing in Florida school classrooms, and at the time of the writing of this article an epidemic more common than any virus circulating throughout our public schools.
According to a study conducted by The Orlando Sentinel, “The Sentinel reviewed thousands of maintenance work orders, school district reports and e-mails as well as independent environmental studies in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties from August 2007 to August 2010. The key findings:
•A never-ending battle against mold — some of it the most potentially dangerous, toxin-producing varieties — infesting central florida classrooms, cafeterias, locker rooms, media centers and even nurses’ quarters.
•Repeated complaints that cited students and teachers suffering from stinging eyes, breathing distress and other symptoms thought to be related to poor indoor air quality.
•Persistently leaky buildings and faulty air-conditioning systems, which let in the moisture that mold needs to thrive.
•Some schools making matters worse by shutting off the air-conditioning to save money during weekends and summers in one of the hottest, most humid states in the country.
•Different approaches to the problem from school district to school district with inconsistent record keeping. In some cases, maintenance workers were allowed to paint over water-damaged areas instead of removing them as recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
•Parents who are often kept in the dark about the problem.”
This is just the tip of the iceberg in assessing the health problem mold presents in our schools. Florida school need to test for mold every year whether or not you suspect mold growth by smelling it or seeing it. And above all, never try to clean mold by delegating the duty to your janitorial staff as doing so could cause a health problem more acute than the existing mold itself by causing it to become airborne. The environmental Protection Agency has a checklist of precautions that should be taken before attempting to remove mold http://www.epa.gov/mold/mold_remediation.html#checklist
and when reading this page one will come away with all the reasons one needs to hire a professional mold removal team. According to the EPA, a mold removal professional will deploy three basic pieces of safety equipment before attempting to remove mold from an area skin and eye protection, respiratory protection, and disposable safety clothing.
Wearing glove are the basic skin protection as you need to protect the skin from contact with mold allergens and toxins as well as from irritating cleaning solutions. Long gloves that extend to the middle of the forearm are recommended. Respiratory Protection is also need when cleaning up mold. The reason is obvious as disturbing the moldy area will cause the mold spores to become airborne and simple over the counter masks offer little if any protection. You need to be using professional respiratory protection. The third safety item mold removers must use is disposable protective clothing. Not only are you at risk from airborne mold spores, but also mold spores will stick to your clothing and you could infect anyone else you come in contacts with in addition to breathing in the spores from your clothing yourself.
Florida school administrators do an overall excellent job in keeping our children safe an healthy but now is the time for the media to put the health risks that Toxic Mold in Florida Schools presents front and center. In addition, Florida politicians should consider passing legislation to make mold testing, removal and prevention mandatory in Florida public schools.