Toxins from mold are a very serious threat to your health. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has recognized that indoor mold often makes people sick. Unfortunately, the EPA only regulates outdoor air and cannot take proper measures to crack down on public places in efforts to reduce indoor mold infestation.
It is often said that public schools do not have sufficient maintenance budgets to try to save on air conditioning costs and repair leaks in a timely manner. Therefore, severe mold infestation is very common in public schools.
Children often spend about 7 hours a day inside of a school building that is in need of a mold removal program. The EPA estimates that about 35% of American homes also contain toxic mold. Spending half of your day in a moldy school building to go home and be exposed to more mold creates serious health risks for children of all ages.
Hinsdale Middle School
Hinsdale Middle school, located in Hinsdale IL, had to shut down towards the beginning of the year due to a severe mold infestation. This infestation was caused by a frozen pipe that had burst during the arctic blast that swept the Chicagoland area in early January.
School officials found mold growing behind a large amount of classroom drywall. Files retained by officials showed that this mold outbreak came as no surprise to school employees and teachers. Teachers had been complaining about mold and unhealthy building conditions for over 20 years.
Hinsdale Middle School had to implement a strong mold removal program before students were able to come back to school and resume their education.
What Can Teachers and Parents Do?
It is important to educate yourself on mold toxicity so that you realize what a serious threat it is to the health of your children and school employees. If you ever suspect mold inside of your school, contact a school official and insist on mold testing. Be sure to ask for a copy of the results.