Parents Worry about Children’s Health after Mold Found in School

Parents of students attending a Brooklyn area middle school are currently in a dispute with the New York City Department of Education after hazardous levels of mold were found in several classrooms of M.S. 577 Conselyea Preparatory School. The seven classrooms which tested positive for mold were thoroughly cleaned over the weekend and reopened for class Monday morning. Education officials have declared the classrooms safe for use after the cleaning, explaining that the rooms were retested and no mold was found to be present.
 
However, several students and teachers have already reported health conditions associated with exposure to harmful mold. The mold was present in the classrooms for two weeks before action was taken. New York City Councilwoman Diana Reyna is leading a group of parents and city officials in urging the Department of Education to relocate the children until the school is again treated for mold and is declared mold free by an independent assessor. 
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mold can have varying effects on human health. While some individuals will not feel any health effects after exposure to mold, others may be overly sensitive to mold exposure and experience nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing or wheezing, eye irritation, or skin irritation. People who suffer from mold allergies may experience more severe reactions. Immunocompromised individuals or those who suffer from chronic lung illnesses are at greater risk.
 
“Potentially dangerous mold spores may be present even after a remediation has been performed. Air quality tests should always be performed after a mold clean up, even if mold is no longer visible,” states Jason Dobranic Ph.D., EMSL’s Vice President of Microbiology & Life Sciences. “Our labs are accredited to analyze spore traps for mold spores in the air and because we do not perform remediation, our results will always be reported without bias.”
 
For more information about EMSL’s mold testing services, call (800) 220-3675 or visit www.EMSL.com.
 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please see our website for a complete listing of accreditations.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior VP of Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com