Volume 1, Issue 4
January, 2008
SCOPE FOR PSRP’S
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Stories contributed by McAllen AFT PSRP’s
Anxiety spreads about the mold in schools
Anxiety spreads about the mold in schools, homes
By Dawn Fallik
Philadelphia Inquirer
Call it the creeping crud, the green horror, the spores from hell. Call it mold. Mold has been around for billions of years, living off damp surfaces, wafting its spores aloft and breaking down organic material.
Such a simple thing, causing such an uproar.
Mold has been especially prevalent in the Northeast recently because of a wet spring, summer and fall. Nationally, mold has cost millions of dollars in clean-up efforts and widespread anxiety over health concerns. A 2003 report from a
Mold has even invaded Congress: A "Toxic Mold Safety and Protection" bill, which would create a national insurance program for homeowners and "educate the public about the dangers of toxic mold," awaits a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill targets molds that emit toxins, while most spores cause only allergy problems.
But experts say mold shouldn't become the stuff of mythic horror.
"Mold has always been there and it's always been a bad situation," said Mike Berry, former EPA manager of indoor air research, adding that many problems can be prevented by simply stopping leaks early. "We told Congress to start a research program for mold back in the early '80s."
Health problems, including headaches, eye irritation and wheezing, can result from allergies to the spores that mold releases in order to spread and reproduce. Some molds, particularly the Stachybotrys chartarum, a black-green mold, produce mycotoxin, which has been linked by the Centers for Disease Control to a "very few case reports" of pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss.
Mold can be a problem for homeowners and school districts alike.
"Every time it rains I cringe," said Spring-Ford Superintendent Genevieve Coale, who said the Montgomery County, Pa., school district has spent about $400,000 in the last four years on testing for the presence of mold.
Although some parents have been concerned that their children's health problems are due to mold in the schools, Coale said no repairs were required.
"My kids now have asthma and they never did before going to the intermediate school," said Barbara Hagan, whose children attend
Schools in particular have been hard hit, because flat roofs and aging buildings - some without air-conditioning - are mold environments waiting to happen.
"We consider it one of the top public health problems for schools in the country," said Eugene Cole, professor of health science at
But mold is more than a school problem - it can also be a source of trouble for homeowners and apartment dwellers.
Suzanne Sheahen of
"The roof leaked, and the ceiling started to collapse in places and I could see the black in there," she said. Suddenly, the health problems she'd had made sense, she said.
"I'd been short of breath and had numbness in my fingers and rashes all over my body," she said. "For the past two years, they (doctors) haven't been able to find anything wrong, but they're all symptoms of black mold."
Guy Elzey III, a representative for Kings Road Associates L.L.C., which owns the building, said that the mold was cleaned up and the apartment passed a health department inspection. Elzey says he believes Sheahen may have contributed to the mold growth by splashing water on the ceiling.
"Mold is really not the whole point of the matter; it's more of a landlord-tenant issue," he said.
While stories about toxic mold abound, scientists such as
"Stachybotrys has been accused of having fatal effects, but there's been no proven association," he said. Breathing mold is much less dangerous than eating moldy food, he said.
The problem is, there's no escaping mold spores, although most are easily killed using a little bleach and water. Scientists say it's impossible to create an indoor air-quality standard to measure an acceptable amount of mold in the air.
There are thousands of different kinds of mold, and different people react to different levels differently.
Mold-removal experts say they've seen Mold-removal experts say they've seen a huge increase in calls recently, particularly after last summer's rains.
"I received about 300 calls this (season) regarding mold, and I usually get about 50," said Ed Knoor, owner of Quality Environment in
"Sometimes mold is present, but sometimes a little mold problem creates a big psychological issue - someone sneezes and it becomes a mold sneeze."
Funny classroom stories
Posted by Monica Ghee on 3/20/07
When I was in college, a friend of mine went swimming with three friends on the day of the last final exam in the spring. It was the first really nice day and they just did not want to try very hard to make it back in time for the one o’clock final, so they ended up completely blowing it off, getting back home about 6:30 pm.
Anyway, they showed up the next morning at the prof's office with a sob story about having gotten a flat tire on the way to the physics building. He said no problem---it is a short test. Sit in the classroom across the hall and I will give you the test now and you can be done with it in less than an hour. Very relieved, they all took their seats and pulled out a pencil and got their blue books ready. It was indeed a very short test. There was only one question: Which Tire?
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
#1
2 (10) oz.) pkgs frozen broccoli, cooked
#2
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 lbs. boiled chicken cut up
#3
3/4 c. grated sharp cheese
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. melted butter (optional)
Alternate 1, 2, 3, in layers in a
13x9x2 inch casserole. Top with crumbs. Pour butter over top and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees
A
The
Ask any Texan, and you will no doubt learn that the mockingbird has the prettiest song of any bird native to
The song of the mockingbird is, in fact, a medley of the calls of many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times, then another song is started, all in rapid succession. It is common for an individual bird to have as many as 25-30 songs in its repertory.
Known as a fierce protector of its nest and environment. It is sometimes seen swooping down on a dog, cat or predator that may be venturing too close to the bird's protected territory