State air quality report for Pickering a concern

LYNN – A state-issued air quality report released last week has shown there is cause for concern at Pickering Middle School.State Rep. Lori Ehrlich, who requested the assessment, said it was prompted by mold concerns in what was once the gymnasium, which has been converted into classrooms.”I was contacted by a concerned parent who has a child in the school,” she said. “This parent described their child’s serious allergic symptoms that seemed to disappear over the weekend and wondered if it could be the school.”Superintendent Catherine Latham had not yet received the report on June 23 and had not yet been able to read the materials at the time The Item contacted her.The report is based on testing completed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Environmental Health and the Indoor Air Quality Program on May 7.At the time of the assessment, the report states the mechanical ventilation system for the majority of areas was not operating and “openable windows are the only means for introducing airflow into the building.”This resulted in carbon dioxide levels above 800 parts per million in 50 percent of the areas surveyed. While 800 ppm is the guideline for publicly occupied areas, 600 ppm or less is preferred for schools because of the younger population.Long-term solutions to the poor air quality include replacing HVAC systems, potentially replacing the building’s roof and possibly re-pointing exterior walls.Short term recommendations were also provided and include, though are not limited to, repairing breaches in the building’s foundation, removing materials hung on the below-grade exterior walls, ensuring the general mechanical ventilation system is deactivated and/or sealed in areas that have been recommended for remediation, restoring or replacing the old HVAC systems and ridding the building of pests.The report also indicates discolored paint in classroom B, located in the former gymnasium, may be mold colonization from water seeping through the building’s foundation. Other materials, like paper and cork bulletin boards, hung on the walls with paint discoloration can hold moisture against the walls which can result in further damage and growth of mold.Water damage was also noted in the school auditorium, on plaster ceilings, walls and window sills throughout the school. While plaster does not give mold a place to grow, water and dust trapped in the paint layers can. This also indicates the need for the school’s roof to be replaced. Shrubbery and other plants growing close to and inside cracks close to the foundation walls have the potential to bring moisture into contact with the walls, causing cracks and/or fissures in the foundation below ground level, allowing water in through the foundation, the report states.While room temperatures ranged from 71-78 degrees and are within the MDPH’s recommended comfort ranges, the report states one wing in the school, built in 1916, has no supply of fresh air and the temperature of the wing built in 1953 is controlled by air pressure systems with hissing thermostats that indicate leaks in the system, thereby causing problems with temperature control in the classrooms.Mouse traps throughout the school were also noted as representing a rodent problem, which can contribute to poor air quality, due to a protein in mouse droppings. The protein can cause runny noses or skin rashes in sensitive individuals.General building conditions, design and operation or lack of HVAC equipment, lack of capital maintenance to the building envelope and repair of water- damaged materials are all contributing factors that negatively affect indoor air quality.A two-phase approach to better conditions has been recommended by the MDPH, one involving short term measures to improve air quality and long term measures that will require planning and resources to address the over all concern.”The findings are disturbing and need to be addressed,” Ehrlich said. “I’m sure stakeholders in the community