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October 16, 2002 - There is a different kind of threat in American schools, and it’s coming from the inside. Toxic mold is a growing problem that could prove hazardous to your child’s health.
IT’S AN unwelcome intruder in your child’s school: mold. Some call it the "new asbestos," a trigger for respiratory illnesses, headaches and asthma.
"There are studies that show that schools that have increased moisture and increased molds, in those schools the kids have increased asthma," says Dr. Jordan Fink.
The risks from mold are forcing kids out of their classrooms for weeks at a time.
In Bristol, Tenn., 1,100 students and teachers were detoured to the famed NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway for classes while Sullivan East High was decontaminated.
In Wilmington, N.C., there is mold growth that sadly isn’t a science project.
Experts say certain types of mold are especially dangerous. Molds give off tiny toxic spores that are inhaled. Some doctors now call the symptoms, "mold syndrome."
Mold thrives in moist places and is often lurking in ceiling tiles, ventilation systems and within porous drywall. Disinfectants are usually not enough to deal with it. Replacing walls and ceilings may be the only remedy.
Wednesday morning, in Deerfield, Wis., Laurie Steen was getting the kids off to their newly decontaminated elementary school. She pushed for testing after teachers felt ill and suspected mold.
"We tested and found it in four classrooms and the library," says Steen.
The cleanup cost nearly $25,000.
"It was more serious than we originally thought," says Christopher Hibner, principal at Deerfield Elementary. "Honestly, we didn’t feel we had a mold problem."
The government says no one is tracking how many schools have mold problems but the Environmental Protection Agency says 10,000 schools have already adopted its guidelines for mold prevention and cleanup.
At Bristol, the cleanup is expected to go another six weeks before students at the so-called "NASCAR High" are back on track.
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