Colonial Park damage cleared of health concern
Published on March 15th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - The conditions that led to the growth of mold and water damage at the Colonial Park Elementary School no longer remain a health concern, according to the town’s Health Agent.
In a “letter to the editor” published in The Stoneham Independent last week, local resident Roger Fotino – who alleged that his daughter developed an asthmatic-condition because of the environmental hazards – accused Stoneham administrators of failing to correct the mold, poor ventilation, and dust conditions at the brand new facility.
Specifically, the father claimed that the town’s Board of Health and school department refused to acknowledge the recommendation of a town-hired environmental firm that a rug in the library area be removed.
According to the correspondence from Covino Associates, the consultants brought in to test the carpet for mold contamination, the material had a tendency to collect moisture and fungal spores, making it prone to potential health hazards.
“The Board of Health agreed with [all] the recommendations except the rug removal, which they feel is not a health concern,” wrote Fotino.
“It is a health concern for our children, and may be for other children, and we only hope the School Committee will do the right thing before any kids come down with more serious illnesses,” the local resident vented.
In an interview in his office on Monday afternoon, Health Agent Robert Bracey admitted that his opinion on the carpet differed with the environmental firm.
Agreeing that the carpet is prone to develop mold and moisture, the Health Agent didn’t consider the rug in the library’s “reading alcove” to constitute a significant enough health risk to warrant removal.
“Carpet will contain bacteria, no matter what. That’s just a fact,” Bracey remarked. “But it didn’t appear to be an epidemic. There seemed to only be one child who was sensitive to the rug.”
“If it presented an immediate health hazard, we would have ordered it removed immediately,” the Health Agent explained. “We’re not saying we’re not concerned with this child’s health and safety. We just need an order to be fully justified.”
According to Bracey, he was first notified of the development of mold and other potential environmental health hazards at the Colonial Park School last October when an inspector from the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH) contacted the Board of Health.
Told that the DPH was investigating complaints of mold, cockroaches, and asthma-development in students at the school, Bracey immediately called Fotino and Max French, the school department’s Supt. of Grounds.
Informed that Covino Associates had already been contacted to formally investigate the matter, Bracey again spoke with DPH and school officials upon the release of an air quality test on October 28.
“Before the Board of Health made any judgment on the legitimacy of the complaints, we wanted to wait for that report,” Bracey recalled.
“And after that, I recommended that the Superintendent [Dr. Joseph Connelly] not only do factual observations, but also do visual inspections throughout the entire school.”
That order was followed up by secondary Environmental Quality Reports issued in December indicating that a science storage closet had also developed a large quantity of mold and mildew growth.
According to Connelly, the science closet, which had several cardboard storage containers, has a tendency to develop moisture during the summer months.
However, since the discovery was made, school officials have completely cleaned out and disinfected the area, all according to the recommendations of the Board of Health and Covino Associates.
“We cleaned everything out of the storage area and eliminated all cardboard storage units. We now have placed Tupperware containers in there that are moisture resistant,” the Superintendent said.
Since carpets do have a tendency to accumulate fungal spores and bacteria deposits – and the organisms are tracked in from the soles of students’ shoes – Bracey has ordered that the carpet be shampooed and cleaned with a disinfectant on a regular basis.
According to the Health Agent, should that recommendation be followed by the school department, the carpet should remain safe for students to congregate on.
“There is no imminent health hazard at the school in terms of air quality, mold infestation, or cockroaches,” Bracey said. “And according to both the Board of Health and Department of Public Health, the school department went above and beyond what was required to correct this.”
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