Mold & allergies big school issues; 1 child hospitalised 5 times- Flax-Charles
The Jr Minister noted that this has to do with “the health and environment in which our children have to attend school”. The Jr Minister further stated to Members and the Ministry of Education that she is also “concerned about allergies, which is a major issue and more children are being diagnosed and some staff that are encountering the same challenge.”
Legislation or policy needed- Hon Flax-Charles
Hon Flax-Charles noted during the meeting to examine the 2023 Estimates that there are certain things that need to be done. The Junior Minister suggested that maybe legislation or policy should be put in place to fix the situation. There are children with allergies who have to carry the medication epinephrine, she noted.
The Junior Minister said nurses are needed at the schools to administer this medication because “teachers are afraid to administer it”, especially schools that have big populations or where medical facilities on some of the other islands are not present.
She further stated that “as recently as a few days ago a child had been admitted to the hospital about five times.”
Minister Flax-Charles noted that cleaning products used at the schools are another contributing factor that must be carefully looked into when purchasing those items, according to the SFC report made public last month.
Significant $$ being spent on mold remediation- Minister de Castro
However, the Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon Sharie B. de Castro (AL) stated that she received significant reports of mold in schools. One of the issues they had to address is that the Ministry has had to spend “significant funds for mold remediation,” where the source of the problem was not being addressed, which is “leakage from the roof and water entry,” the Education Minister told the SFC.
For the Christmas term, three schools were identified and subsequently works commenced regarding sealing of roofs, which were deemed successful, according to Minister de Castro.
The Ministry will seek to do the same for the other schools that have been identified as having mold issues, Hon de Castro assured the SFC.
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35 Responses to “Mold & allergies big school issues; 1 child hospitalised 5 times- Flax-Charles”
NB: I’m not a certified mold expert but was a certified facility manager with responsibility for preventing, remediating, and managing mold.
Now, given that our tropical island air is VERY humid, we produce water vapour each time we exhale, condensation occurs when we set the air conditioning to ARCTIC level temperatures while outside is comparatively hot, resulting in condensation on building surfaces... there is a huge challenge to overcome with controlling the moisture component. This is made even worse by installation of air conditioning units without correctly sizing for PROPER air change rates; when the ACH (air changes per hour) is too low, the moisture in the air builds up because people aren't going to stop exhaling and the air isn't going to stop being humid. One reason the mould wasn't such an issue in previous times was because there WAS NOT widespread use of air conditioning in buildings as there is today, meaning that natural ventilation was the default, NOT arctic level AC requiring folks to wear hoodies indoors. But folks aren't ready for that conversation, or to return to ACTUALLY acting like we live in the tropics, so this issue will likely continue...
My question to the Government is; what is the price value placed on our childrens lives that you can determine that there is no money to fix this problem? What is the price value placed on staff's lives that you can determin that they should continue to work in black mold.
We have lost our humanity as a people and unfortunately someone will have to lose their life for this to be taken seriously.
What is not clear is how other potential sources of allergies were ruled out (e.g. food, plants matter, etc.), in the person in question and whether there was more than person at the school affected. There is vague reference to significant reports of mold, but was there any kind of investigation about this? While there is no doubt that mold is potentially a significant issue, Ms. Flax-Mars’ allegations appear hyperbolic.
A/C systems, etc. Public officials cannot look a gift horse in the mouth, they should work aggressively to arrest the water sources/leaks. This should a task for Public Works Department.
When we speak about cleaning products, fabuloso, Pine Sol should be a thing of the pass, but it is always a sale item at the supermarkets. Have you ever visit a doctor's office and smell, bleach , pin sol or Fabuloso? No, because they don't use those items, Peroxide , Vinegar with essential Oils are more natural and kills mole spores easily.
How often are they cleaning out crevices , ceilings, walls, hanging fans and other areas to prevent buildup. How often are tiles and carpets deep cleaned. Maintenance is another issue, regularly cleaning AC Vents . Also bringing in mold cleaning specialist when needed. Just like Environmental health monitors food establishments they needs to step in and help other organisation's and building owners come up with cleaning schedules/plans which would reduce some of the mold issues.