BIDDEFORD — School officials met on Thursday to discuss an action plan to deal with air quality issues at Biddeford High School after angry parents voiced their concerns to the School Committee Tuesday.
The main features of the plan, said BHS Principal Britton Wolfe, include: Increased cleaning and housekeeping, additional containment of high school renovations and resultant dust, and further air quality testing.
On Tuesday, Laura Hale said something should be done to improve air quality at the school. Her daughter, Marina Gagne, a junior at BHS, suffered a severe allergic at school and was brought from the high school by ambulance to Southern Maine Medical Center.
Kelsie Bernier also suffered severe allergic reactions while attending classes at BHS and was taken to the Biddeford hospital.
In addition to school officials, Environmental Codes Officer Brian Phinney, representatives from Ledgewood Construction, the South Portland-based company working on high school renovations, and representatives from the testing company Air Quality Management were among those attending the Thursday meeting.
On Monday, Air Quality Management tested air quality in three rooms at the high school. On Tuesday, a company representative said there were no elevated levels of mold spores in those rooms. On Wednesday, 13 rooms at the school were tested, said Wolfe. Results will be available today or early next week, he said.
In additional to mold spore levels, air sample testing will also look for particulates in the rooms, including the make-up as well as the level of the particulates.
There is concern that students may be breathing in
crystalline silica particles produced during renovation construction.
Overexposure to respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease, according to the website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
However, said Phinney, even if testing identified crystalline silica in areas where students are present, it might not be at harmful levels or at a respirable size. Ledgewood Construction will be employing some of the engineering controls recommended by OSHA, he said.
Phinney said Ledgewood will install additional containment measures to reduce particulate infiltration produced through construction into the areas where students are present in the school building. A negative pressure ventilator has already been installed, he said.
Additional measures, said Phinney, include better sealing off of renovation areas from areas with students, changing work schedules to reduce workers entering the student areas when pupils are present and better dust cleaning. Increased inspection and stepped up cleaning and housekeeping will be taking place in student areas, he added.
Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli confirmed that cleaning will be increased and air filters will be changed more frequently.
“We don’t have a mold issue, we have a dust issue, but it’s not severe,” Poli said in an interview.
Poli said staff who reported problems were asked to contact WorkWell, and as of this morning, only one BHS staff members had contacted the occupational health service center. Poli also urged students with health problems should have their physicians contact school administrators.
“I’m satisfied with what’s being done,” Poli said. “We continue to do what we need to do to keep our students and staff safe.”
Phinney said he believes the mold spores detected in the classrooms are a result of dust movement also, since no mold sources have been identified.
Regarding air quality test results that were released on Tuesday, said Phinney, “I’m satisfied that the results are in acceptable levels.”
He said he believes the efforts at the school are appropriate.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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