The Growing Concern of Mold and other Harmful

Pathogens our Schools

Concerns about Mold in Florida Schools

Unfortunately, Florida is a great incubator for mold, with high humidity and plenty of rain

almost year round, mold can’t help to grow just about anywhere. All of these things make this a

great environment for mold, and all our schools generally have all the ingredients to develop

mold. Mold spores occur in the indoor and outdoor environments, and there is always a little

mold everywhere in the air. Molds are very common in buildings and homes and will thrive

anywhere indoors where there is moisture. The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium,

Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria. Florida has a large number of schools, couple that with

Florida’s wet and humid climate, it’s only natural mold can become problematic in our schools

if left unchecked.

If mold is extensive inside a school children can be exposed to very high and persistent airborne

mold spores. The good news for parents is unless your child has allergies or an immune

deficiency, mold in their school shouldn’t be too much of a concern. However, it is also possible

to become sensitized to mold spores and develop allergies or other health concerns, even if you

are not typically sensitive to mold. Of course, you should always be aware of any symptoms of

exposure to mold. This includes headaches, pressure between the eyes, respiratory infections

and constant sinus problems.

Children are at special risk from exposure to molds in schools, especially since a child’s lungs

and other organs are still developing. Children are more susceptible for a variety of reasons,

they inhale more air per pound of body weight than adults do; smaller children have hand-to-

mouth behaviors; and most rarely wash their hands during the school day. While laws require

children to be in school, most states have not enacted laws protecting children, or even school

personnel from exposure to molds or airborne pathogen contamination. Most schools are

required to provide facilities for children who are extremely mold‐sensitive, or sensitive to

indoor air pollutants, but it doesn’t matter if the school doesn’t monitor the children’s health,

or school staffs are unaware of the symptoms of contaminated indoor air.

In fact, a local allergist noticed a significant rise in the number of children and teachers coming

to him with many of these symptoms, all related to mold exposure after their schools were

damaged by Hurricanes Ivan Dennis in Florida’s Panhandle in 2004 and 2005. It was doubtful

the children’s symptoms were pointed out by the school district, but it seems there was a

definitive cause and effect with the storm damage and rise in mold symptoms reported in

children this allergist treated.

How Mold Develops in Schools?

When mold spores drop on places where there is excessive moisture, places such as where a

leak may have occurred (roof, water pipe, wall), or where there has been flooding, mold will

grow. Ironically, children can even bring mold spores into a school on their clothing. Even faulty

HVAC systems can be at the root of mold problems in schools. Moist cellulose materials, paper

products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood and wood products incubate mold. Even everyday

materials such as paint, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet and upholstery, commonly

support mold growth. Even spores in outside air can attach themselves to students which

become another way mold can find its way indoors to incubate. Constant moisture is required

for its growth. Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered

the same as other common molds, and all molds should be treated the same with respect to

potential health risks and removal.

While everyone is familiar with the term "toxic mold", it’s not actually accurate, although

certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce mycotoxins. One toxic mold is

Stachybotrys chartarum, this is a greenish-black mold, sometimes referred to as “black mold”. It

grows on material with a high cellulose and low nitrogen content, such as fiberboard, gypsum

board, paper and lint.

As a parent, if you believe your child is being subjected to mold at school it might be difficult to

pin point where the mold is. Besides having your child see an allergist or pediatrician, as a

parent you should be asking questions about where the mold is and what school officials are

doing to remediate it. Some schools districts have ignored acknowledging they have a mold

problem, which in some cases have caused litigation. Inheritably, this presents a “double edged

sword” for school officials. Do they ignore the problem, or admit they have a problem which

could lead to potential litigation down the road.

How Schools Can Prevent Mold?

Mold can be very expensive to remediate, and it also opens the door to litigation if it can be

proved the health of a student or teacher has been adversely affected due to mold. A

preliminary report given to a one Florida School Board suggested a potential cost of $2.5 billion

to renovate schools with a variety of maintenance problems, which included millions for mold

abatement. A capital improvement plan from late 1990’s committed $44 million to clean up

mold problems in 155 schools over a five-year period, but an internal audit pointed out

problems with meeting the plans goals. This is just one school district in Florida, albeit one of

the largest, but there are 74 districts in Florida and countless of charter schools operating

privately.

School maintenance staff can prevent 95% of the mold by paying close attention to leaks

(assuming they are discovered) by keeping every area free from moisture and checking the

HVAC systems and vents for leaks. Other areas school maintenance staff should be always

checking for roof leaks, even small ones. Sometimes small leaks can go undetected for long

periods and moisture behind walls inside of drywall or cellulose materials will eventually

develop mold. With school funding stretched more each year in Florida, ongoing maintenance

and repairs also suffer from lack of adequate funding. Concerned parents should ask their

school district for testing if you suspect there might be a problem in your child’s school.

Schools Investing in UV Technology

With all the cost in mold repairs and the potential for lawsuits some school districts are starting

to investigate alternative types of air purification technology to keep indoor are free of

contaminants. Recent studies have shown ultraviolet (UV) systems can eliminate, or completely

reduce pathogens in the air. The process is called air ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI.

The technology has been around since the 19th century and has proven to disinfect and kill

pathogens, including mold spores. Since contamination with bacterial and fungal spores poses a

serious health risk for patients in hospitals, UV technology is being used in one form or another

to sterilize the air. Since UV products are effective in hospitals destroying airborne pathogens

like MRSA and C-diff, it makes sense that they can also effectively treat and disinfect air in

schools.

Now, instead of demolishing an entire school (worst case scenario) or constantly fighting mold,

which can be pervasive and difficult to locate, UV technology can used to eliminate harmful

microorganisms in the air, including dangerous mold fungi. As a supplement to traditional mold

remediation methods, a newly released UV system was designed specifically to combat mold

problems in schools. Using not only UV light at the germicidal range, this new product also uses

photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) to further help destroy harmful containments.

The Ideal UV System for Fighting Indoor Containments

Installed into a drop ceiling, the system called “Purealizer™” can be installed in each classroom,

or area to help ensure the air quality is always being protected from microorganisms such as

mold. The fixture assembly is 2’ x 2’, which is a standard size for most drop ceilings, making the

recessed fixture almost unnoticeable once installed.

The Purealizer™ works by using differential pressure, moving air into the unit and through an

irradiation chamber where it is disinfected by a combination of UV light and photo catalytic

oxidation. The system operates continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Operating around

the clock even when students and staff are not present, the Purealizer™ ensures air is

effectively treated and recirculated back into the classroom or area.

Proven and effective, the combined disinfection technologies of the Purealizer™ have single

pass kill rate of 98%. The Purealizer™ air disinfection system is a cost-effective solution to

eliminate nosocomial pathogens, microorganisms and even harmful fungi like toxic mold.

Furthermore, the system is also capable of eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOCs),

something systems using UV alone can’t do.

This newly introduced system, using proven existing disinfection technologies, could offer

school districts around the country a cost-effective way to prevent illness in students suffering

from exposure to mold, or other potential harmful containments inside their building.

The Purealizer™ is the most cost-effective in the market based on the cost, disinfection

capability and coverage it can provide. Contact us for more information on the Purealizer™ and

to locate a dealer in your area for pricing and availability.

Company Name: Purealizer

Tel. Number: (954) 652-6306

Email: Info@Purealizer.com

Website: http://purealizer.com/