Overview
Excerpt from the paper...
What NIOSH Did:
● We evaluated the school in April 2005 and again in May 2005.
● We also evaluated Walnut Hills High School (WHHS) in Cincinnati, Ohio, in February 2006. This school is about the same age as AFSHS, but has no history of water damage or mold contamination. We compared the two schools.
● We looked for signs of water damage and mold in both schools. We also reviewed industrial hygiene reports for both schools.
● We collected air, bulk, and surface samples for mold in the AFSHS and WHHS buildings. We collected bulk paint samples for lead at AFSHS but not at WHHS because there was no peeling paint.
● We looked at the ventilation systems and checked the moisture levels in the walls at both schools. We also measured carbon dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity levels in both schools.
● We surveyed employees at both schools. We asked about their work, medical history, and work-related health concerns.
● We conducted visual contrast sensitivity tests on employees at both schools.
What NIOSH Found:
● We found mold and moisture problems throughout AFSHS. Only one area at WHHS was identified with an ongoing moisture problem.
● We found lead in the bulk paint samples from AFSHS.
● The carbon dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity levels were acceptable at AFSHS. Carbon dioxide measurements were elevated in some classrooms at WHHS.
● Employees at AFSHS had significantly higher prevalences of symptoms than employees at WHHS. These included rashes and nasal, lower respiratory, constitutional, and neurobehavioral symptoms.
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report (2010)
Comparison of Mold Exposures, Work-related Symptoms, and Visual Contrast Sensitivity between Employees at a Severely Water-damaged School and Employees at a School without Significant Water Damage
