EC2 Logo
Last fall a school in St. Charles, Illinois was closed for three days after an outbreak of the H1N1 caused almost 1000 students to call in sick on a single day. Several years earlier that same school closed their doors again, this time to battle mold contamination. Just this month workers began sealing doors and windows at a Peoria, Illinois high school after asbestos was found in dust after a major remodeling project.
Schools in Illinois face many challenges to keep their indoor environments safe for children and faculty. As budgets for aging schools get smaller some maintenance projects are postponed or delayed indefinitely. Issues such as water infiltration, faulty plumbing, remodeling and HVAC failures can all lead to potential IAQ problems involving mold, lead and other contaminants.
For mold, when a water intrusion event happens from rain, broken plumbing or elevated humidity levels in a school it is imperative to not only fix the problem right away, but also to address any microbial growth. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that “When mold growth occurs in buildings, it may be followed by reports of health symptoms from some building occupants, particularly those with allergies or respiratory problems. Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposures include allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints. If mold is a problem in your school, you must clean up the mold and eliminate sources of moisture.”
Ed Chambers, the President of EC2, Inc. (ec2) has long been an advocate for healthy IAQ in schools. His Illinois based environmental consulting and building sciences firm has worked to solve IAQ problems across the country. “IAQ issues in schools are a major problem in Illinois and across the country and the issues need to be addressed properly to prevent the problem from growing,” reported Ed Chambers. ”
To learn more about how ec2 can help schools with IAQ problems please visit http://www.4ec2inc.com, email info@4ec2inc.com or call (815) 703-9000.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
