Anti-bug wrong at
CHILDREN MISS A DAY AMID SCARE RELATING TO OZONE GAS
CHILDREN were turned away from school after a machine which kills airborne viruses malfunctioned, sending out too much dangerous disinfectant ozone gas into the building.
After a sickness spell at Ravensworth Terrace Primary School in Birtley, the school deployed its ‘bug-cleaning’ device.
The machine was supposed to run for 60 minutes, but failed to turn itself off overnight.
The Chronicle has been told the caretaker discovered the fault and the decision was made not to let pupils into the school and council bosses were informed.
Now an investigation has been launched by Gateshead Council’s health and safety officers into what went wrong.
Parents turned up on Tuesday to be faced with the closure, while notifications were quickly placed on the council’s website saying the school was closed, along with an announcement on local radio.
When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation.
It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma as well, or compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.
A parent, who did not want to be named, said: “There had been a sickness breakout at the school and my daughter wasn’t well herself.
“I was told a bug-cleaning machine was used but it malfunctioned and didn’t switch itself off.
“There was too much ozone gas and many parents and children didn’t find out until we arrived at the school.
“The school said it had Radio Newcastle put something out and I later checked the council website for school closures and it was on there.
“But not everyone listens to that radio station and who thinks to check the school closure website every morning before they leave for school?
“[The air-cleaning device] was a good idea but I would have liked to have been informed beforehand that they were doing this. I would have liked to have been told what they were doing and why.
“Some children turned up for breakfast club and they had to be taken to an outside area.
“I rang Gateshead Council’s and was told the levels of ozone had been taken and they were investigating the situation. The building had to be well ventilated and then tested at 12 hours and then at 24.
“I just thought we could have been kept better informed.”
After tests gave the all-clear, headteacher Denise Thompson wrote a letter to parents and carers on Tuesday saying the school would be reopened on Wednesday.
In an letter posted on the school’s website she said: “I am pleased to inform you that school will be open as usual tomorrow.
“The local authority has conducted thorough checks as a precaution and has informed me that there is no trace of ozone in the building.
“Thank you all for your patience with this matter and the messages of thanks we received for our prompt action and ensuring the children remained safe. I hope you understand the need to be safe rather than sorry.”
On Wednesday, The Chronicle told how the Public Health England North East health protection team confirmed they had been working with staff at Kells Lane Primary School in Low Fell, Gateshead, after a large number of pupils were struck down with a fever and vomiting outbreak. (See right.)
The flare-up was played down by the health body, which said the high numbers of sick children is “common at this time of year” and “it is not uncommon for viruses including influenza (flu) and norovirus to circulate in the community and in schools”.
A statement from Ravensworth Terrace School said: “We’d like to reassure parents that there are no ongoing problems with ozone in our school. This week’s problem seems to have occurred as the result of an overnight malfunction in a piece of cleaning equipment designed to destroy airborne viruses. This has now been taken out of use.
“We have also had the school carefully inspected by specialist contractors and the ozone levels in the school are now completely normal.
“At no time were children exposed to any heightened levels of ozone.”
A Gateshead Council spokesman said: “We are investigating the circumstances around this incident.”