Mold concerns delay school openings around county

Three Allegheny County school districts are altering class schedules and locations due to mold, possibly caused by the region’s wet and warm summer, according to the Allegheny County Health Department

Shaler Area High School and the Plum Borough School District have delayed the start of classes until Sept. 4 to allow for removal of mold. And students originally scheduled to attend Hance Elementary in the PineRichland School District started classes Tuesday at the district’s Eden Hall Upper Elementary School while mold is removed from Hance.

Additionally, the Mount Pleasant Area School District, in Westmoreland County, had to delay the first day of school for students at the junior-senior high school to Sept. 4 after water damage was discovered near windows in classrooms along the exterior of the building, according to its website.

“It’s not surprising we’re hearing about these mold situations given the weather we’ve had this summer — high humidity, flooding, lots of rainfall and the buildings closed up,” said Dave

Namey, program manager for the health department’s housing and community environment program.

Mr. Namey said the health department does not test for mold, but does respond to requests for assistance in finding the source of mold problems and makes recommendations for remediation and removal.

He said none of the three school districts addressing mold issues has contacted the health department for help.

While mold spores are present everywhere — outside, in homes, schools and workplaces — mold growth can be triggered by a variety of factors, he said, including hot, wet weather, roof and plumbing leaks and stagnant inside air where humidity is higher than 60 percent.

Bethany Baker, a spokeswoman for the Shaler Area School District, said it delayed the start of classes to re-clean classrooms where mold or mildew was found. The problem was caused, she said, by higher humidity levels over the past month coupled with a malfunctioning air handler in the high school.

“The air handler has been repaired,” Ms. Baker said in an email, “and the humidity levels are returning to a normal range in the building.”

She said the district has hired a company to reclean all surfaces, dehumidify the entire school, and operate high-efficiency particulate air filters in the high school.

Mold can cause minor health issues, including watery eyes, a runny nose, congestion, skin irritation and other allergic reactions and can exacerbate asthma. Individuals with compromised immune systems can be particularly sensitive to mold.

Mr. Namey said there are no federal or state regulations for safe levels for mold spore contamination, but school districts are doing the right thing by exercising caution.

“One of the reasons that there are no federal laws defining acceptable mold thresholds is the wide variability of individual reactions to mold exposure,” Mr. Namey said. “But it’s good that schools are proactive because they serve a more diverse population. Among the hundreds of students, the schools are more likely to have individuals susceptible or sensitive to molds or allergies.”