"Sick" School Buildings

The pollution and toxic problems of public school buildings can make students and school staff sick. Information about the causes of sick building syndrome and mold are also included in this article, as well as information on building-related illness and how it differs from sick building syndrome, environmental conditions and problems, and indoor air quality. The estimated number of schools that have air quality and environmental issues and the cost to remediate these issues are also included.

Keywords Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984; Building Related Illness; Education Infrastructure Act of 1994; Environmental Conditions; Indoor Air Quality; Mold; Public Schools; Remediation; Sick Building Syndrome

Overview

Sick building syndrome describes a situation in which a building's occupants have health and comfort issues that seem to be linked to the amount of time they spend in the building. Usually, no specific illness or cause is identified. Sick building syndrome can occur throughout a building, in an area of a building, or localized in only one room of a building. Some indicators of a sick building include occupants' complaining of symptoms such as:

• Headaches;

• Eye, nose, or throat irritations;

• Persistent cough;

• Dizziness;

• Nausea;

• Fatigue; and

• Difficulty concentrating.

The cause of the symptoms is not known, and most of the people complaining of the symptoms find relief after they leave the building.

“Building-related illness” is a term used when symptoms of a diagnosed illness are due to airborne building contaminants. Building-related illness can be detected when occupants begin complaining of conditions such as:

• Coughing,

• Chest tightness,

• Fever, or

• Chills and muscle aches.

The symptoms can be clinically defined and have an identifiable cause, and the people complaining of the symptoms may require prolonged recovery times after they leave the building (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1991).

According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (Alexander & Lewis, 2014), during the 2012–13 school year, the average age of US public school buildings was forty-four years, and 18 percent of schools had not been substantially renovated since 1978 or before. This can be troublesome because many older schools have not received proper preventive maintenance over the years, which can lead to sick buildings and poor indoor air quality.

However, these problems are not limited to only older school buildings. New buildings can have issues with mold, air quality, and other environmental problems. Sometimes it can be something simple. One new school had students and staff getting sick shortly after the school opened; all complained of allergy-like symptoms. It was determined that dust left over from the construction was the culprit, creating the air quality issues. With new construction, however, schools and districts have a chance of recouping all the costs associated with cleanup by using legal means to recover the money from the builders or others associated with the construction and completion of the project (Buchanan, 2007).

According to the NCES report (Alexander & Lewis, 2014), 30 percent of the nation's public schools had permanent (as opposed to portable) buildings in which the quality of the air ventilation/filtration system was rated fair or poor (rather than “excellent” or “good”). Heating systems and air-conditioning systems were also in fair or poor condition in 30 percent of schools, and 53 percent of schools reported needing to spend an average of $4.5 million each on repairs, renovations, and modernizations in order to be in good overall condition. In addition, a 2013 report by the US Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools estimated that $271 billion was needed simply to repair or upgrade facilities in order for them to be deemed in “good repair,” while twice that amount would be necessary over the next ten years to both repair and “modernize facilities to meet current health, safety and educational standards” (Filardo et al., 2013, p. 7). In its last review of the state of US public school facilities, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO, previously the General Accounting Office) stated that “about half the schools reported at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition, such as poor ventilation or heating or lighting problems” (United States General Accounting Office, 1996, p. 1).

There are schools in adequate and inadequate condition in every state and type of community. However, certain subgroups, including central cities, the western part of the nation, large schools, schools with at least 50 percent minority students, and schools with at least 70 percent poor students, tend to have more building problems than other schools (United States General Accounting Office, 1996).

Causes of Sick Building Syndrome

Many elements can contribute to a sick building. They can act in combination with each other and may also be reinforced by other complaints about the building's temperature, humidity, or lighting. According to the EPA, the following have been shown to cause or contribute to sick building syndrome (US Environmental Protection Agency, 1991):

• Inadequate ventilation. During the energy crisis of the 1970s, building ventilation codes were changed to reduce the outdoor air ventilation rates. The rate reduction of outdoor air ventilation was later found to be insufficient to retain health and provide comfortable amenities for residents. Poor ventilation can result when a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems do not work well enough to move air freely throughout the rooms and floors.

• Indoor chemical contaminants. Most indoor air pollution is the result of what is inside the building. Items that are capable of emitting pollutants and causing health issues include adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, wood products, copy machines, pesticides, and cleaning products. Improperly vented kerosene heaters, gas space heaters, and gas stoves can also contribute to poor air quality and a sick building.

• Outdoor chemical contaminants. Outdoor pollutants, such as motor vehicle exhaust and emissions, can enter a building by way of air intake vents, windows, and other openings that have been placed in poor locations throughout the building. Pollutants from plumbing vents and bathroom and kitchen exhausts can also enter the building the same way.

• Biological contaminants. Bacteria, mold, pollen, and viruses are biological contaminants and can easily multiply in any water that has been sitting stagnant in ducts, humidifiers, drain pans, ceiling tiles, carpeting, and insulation. Biological contaminants can also include insect and avian excrement.

• Radon and asbestos. Radon and asbestos are not associated with either sick building syndrome or building-related illness because they tend to cause long-term diseases that occur years after the person has been exposed, rather than acute or immediate health problems (US Environmental Protection Agency, 1991).

The Problem with Mold

Mold is the most common environmental problem for schools (Buchanan, 2007). There have been cases where mold has made it necessary for schools to close forever, districts to start the school year late, and high-school students to take classes in middle schools or be bused to other high schools. Mold has been the cause for at least a dozen schools closing for days or weeks, and three schools have been forced to close permanently. Mold can be an expensive problem too. Instructors have filed lawsuits over illnesses that are associated with mold, such as asthma, shortness of breath, and loss of memory. Mold has cost districts millions of dollars to clean up the problem (Stricherz, 2001).

Since mold can grow practically anywhere there is moisture and oxygen, it is necessary to pay attention to ceiling tiles, carpeting, wood, drywall, and any porous surface. Many times the problem can be traced back to inferior construction materials, poor ventilation, and a lack of proper maintenance that allows leaks to go unattended or be inappropriately repaired. For example, not replacing ceiling tiles that have become wet provides a breeding ground for molds that will then become airborne (Stricherz, 2001).

High Cost of Cleanup

Mold cleanup can be expensive, and its remediation can wreak havoc on the school and district as they try to deal with the problem. One school district had to delay the opening of the school year when mold was found on an elementary school's roof and in 20 classrooms. Instructors had been complaining of watery eyes, backaches, and bronchitis. Once the problem was discovered, time was needed to figure out how to clean it up and what to do with the students. The students ended up being transferred to three other schools. The school district spent nearly $2 million on cleanup and associated legal fees, and the school was closed for eight months. Another district closed a school permanently due to mold. The principal and some instructors had complained for fifteen years about headaches and asthma, but nothing had been done until it was too late. The school district ended up having to rent two buildings and pay $100,000 every three months in rent, a major expense that could not have been anticipated when determining the year's budget (Stricherz, 2001).

Found in Old & New Buildings

Even new buildings can have mold issues. Students and staff at a new elementary school began complaining of upper respiratory problems soon after the building opened. In November, not too far into the first year of the school, the building was shut down and did not reopen until September of the following year. The cost to remediate the mold problem was $2 million because they had to basically gut the building. It cost the district another $1 million to bus the students to other schools (Colgan, 2003). Mold issues in buildings can also end up costing taxpayers. A school in Vermont became overrun with mold of all types after a wet summer and improper maintenance. The cleanup cost more than $4.7 million, which has translated into an increase in property taxes to help pay for the cleanup effort ("A Growing Problem," 2007; Parent, 2007).

Abundance of Litigation

Mold can also result in lawsuits being filed by parents, instructors, and school staff if they feel their school districts have failed to prevent the illness they believe they contracted because of the building. In one case, instructors filed a $6 million lawsuit against their district (Stricherz, 2001). Instructors and students sued the builder of their new school after complaining of asthma and other respiratory problems that could have been prompted by mold exposure in schools. A subsequent investigation discovered that slightly wet walls, along with other damp occurrences, were not corrected, which resulted in mold in various places in the building that had to be reconstructed. They ended up agreeing to a $650,000 settlement from the builder ("Wis. Students, Teachers Agree to Settle," 2006).

A district that had already spent more than $28 million on mold remediation and repair work additionally faced lawsuits from instructors, students, and the school's contracted employees over the mold. Instructors had complained about having health-related problems for more than ten years before the mold was found growing behind the walls, in the ceiling tiles, in the cabinets, and in the kitchen, which led to the school being closed from March until August of the following year. A judge ruled that the instructors could not sue the district for damages because their claims should fall under workers' compensation. However, students and the school's contracted workers not covered by the insurance were allowed to continue with the lawsuit against the district (Colgan, 2003).

Applying the Law

Indoor air quality has resulted in legal action and arbitration, with court decisions changing what is considered an acceptable response when a school receives indoor air quality complaints from school staff and/or students. Acceptable indoor air quality is now legally defined, according to Hays (2000), as a "reasonable standard of care," which makes indoor air quality more than a building issue in terms of regulations, standards, and codes; now it is also a health and safety issue. Schools should keep solid documentation of all their actions in terms of following sound engineering and building principles; but since most indoor air quality litigation is based on negative health effects, schools need to make sure they document all actions proving standard of care (Hays, 2000).

In the past, when students or staff began a claim against a school and tried to recover damages, they had to demonstrate that the school had a legal obligation to protect them from harm. Many court decisions agreed that a school does have a duty to protect its staff and students from harm and provide a "reasonable standard of care," meaning what a "knowledgeable" person would do under similar conditions. Claimants then had to demonstrate that the school failed to provide a reasonable standard of care, which constitutes negligence. The reporting of symptoms is often considered enough to demonstrate that the school did not provide a reasonable standard of care. The final step was that claimants needed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship, meaning that they needed to prove a specific contaminant was the cause of their health problems. This was almost impossible to do, so very few claimants won. The term "sick building syndrome" came about, which is now used to identify a situation where no cause could be determined. With that in mind, school and district administrators are encouraged not to use the term "sick building syndrome" in any documentation or they could eliminate the need for the claimant to establish causation (Hays, 2000).

Further Insights

Asthma is the top chronic disease that causes student absenteeism, leading to an estimated 14.4 million missed school days in 2008 alone (Meng, Babey, & Wolstein, 2012). When students are ill, they can miss class, which can easily affect their academic performance. In addition, when students do not feel well, it can be difficult for them to concentrate and learn (Buchanan, 2007).

Maintaining the Buildings

It has been determined that well-maintained and periodically renovated buildings can have a life expectancy similar to that of a brand new building. Many understand that any learning environment has the potential to affect the education students will receive in it. Decent facilities contribute to a high-quality learning environment. A court has defined decent facilities as being structurally safe, having a clean and healthy water supply, having proper sewage disposal, and being in good repair, among other things. However, many schools are considered to be in poor condition and in need of several major repairs due to leaking roofs, poor plumbing, or bad heating, ventilation, or cooling systems (United States General Accounting Office, 1996). According to the NCES report, at least 17 percent of public schools with permanent buildings and 28 percent of public schools with portable buildings rated at least one of eight environmental factors—artificial lighting, natural lighting, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, indoor air quality, water quality, and acoustics or noise control—as “unsatisfactory” or “very unsatisfactory,” with the most common complaints being air-conditioning and ventilation quality (permanent buildings) and natural lighting (portable buildings). In general, rural schools and city schools had the highest rates of environmental problems, while suburban schools had the lowest (Alexander & Lewis, 2014). The nation's oldest schools need the most attention, but many of them do not have plans for improvement, as funding issues are the main obstacle to making the needed repairs (Dunne, 2001).

Funding Building Maintenance

Federal programs do provide some money to help schools and districts meet new federal guidelines, but these programs often do not offset all the costs involved with the new mandates. For example, the aid given for asbestos management under the Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984 failed to cover all the costs associated with its mandates. For a three-year period, the Environmental Protection Agency gathered requests for funds totaling $599 million, but they only awarded $157 million to about a third of the districts that qualified. Congress then passed the Education Infrastructure Act of 1994 and appropriated $100 million for grants to fix, renovate, or construct schools. But those funds were destroyed the following year, and the funds were never distributed (United States General Accounting Office, 1996).

At the time the GAO performed its survey, of the 60 percent of schools that were considered to be in decent condition except for at least one feature in need of repair, most needed multiple features repaired, such as walls, roofs, floors, windows, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation. When it came to the environmental factors of lighting, heating, ventilation, indoor air quality, noise control, energy efficiency, and building security, 13 percent of schools reported five or more unsatisfactory conditions. The GAO estimated that at least 25 million students attended schools that had at least one substandard environmental condition (United States General Accounting Office, 1996).

Remediation Requirements

Schools and districts tend to have difficulty with environmental and indoor air quality challenges. When budgets are tight, as they are for most schools and districts, it is easy to put off preventive maintenance. Most have learned from litigation and professional journals that they need to replace wet and stained ceiling tiles and not simply paint over them. They also need to make sure their maintenance personnel not only fix and report any potential issues but also determine what caused the wetness and created the issues in the first place so that they can be fixed (Buchanan, 2007).

Keeping Schools Healthy

There are also some things that schools can do to help reduce environmental and air quality threats:

• Schools should implement an indoor air quality program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides schools with a plan to help improve air quality in school buildings.

• Schools should watch the use of pesticides on school property and try to use them as little as possible. If at all possible, application of pesticides should be done when students and staff are not in school or on the grounds.

• Schools should also try to paint and apply any flooring finishes after school hours when no one is around because most of these products create fumes that can cause health issues. Also, the building should be properly and well ventilated during and after any panting or refinishing.

• Schools should be sure to fix any water leaks as soon as they are noticed to try to avoid possible mold problems. In addition, moldy ceiling tiles and carpets should be thrown away and replaced immediately.

• Schools should do periodic walk-through inspections to look for any signs of potential problems. Signs can include musty odors, dirty carpets, leaky water pipes, and water damage. Any problems noted should be quickly taken care of to reduce risk of further damage.

• Schools should practice preventive maintenance, which is the most effective way to avoid problems in the first place. Preventive maintenance includes servicing heating and air conditioning units on a regularly scheduled basis.

• Schools should make sure that buses and cars are not allowed to idle near any school buildings because carbon monoxide fumes can quickly accumulate inside a building. School doors and windows should be closed when students are arriving and leaving (Environmental Protection Agency, n.d., as cited in Buchanan, 2007).

Parents can also help by monitoring their children for signs of sick building syndrome. Signs include sneezing, coughing, wheezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches, and general fatigue. If their child exhibits these symptoms at school, parents need to go to a doctor and try to rule out other factors, then work with school personnel to make sure a proper evaluation of the room is completed (Environmental Protection Agency, n.d., as cited in Buchanan, 2007).

Currently, the federal government does not require air monitoring in schools. However individual states or localities may institute their own monitoring requirements. Schools have an obligation to provide a healthy environment for both their students and all school personnel. There are things that can be done to help keep environmental and air quality issues from cropping up and costing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to remediate. Therefore, it is important that school personnel and districts are vigilant and proactive so they are not cleaning up a huge mess later and defending themselves against lawsuits.

Terms & Concepts

Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984: The Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act of 1984 handed out loans and grants to public and private schools that needed financial aid in order to rectify asbestos problems. It was funded until 1993.

Building Related Illness: Building related illness defines the symptoms experienced of a diagnosed illness that are directly relatable to airborne building pollutants.

Education Infrastructure Act of 1994: The Education Infrastructure Act of 1994 provided federal aid for the rectification of public elementary and secondary school buildings in need of repair. Grants were authorized to schools that needed immediate attention, but lacked the funding necessary. It was never funded.

Remediation: The process of cleaning up pollutants or hazardous materials in a building, including rebuilding and replacement.

Sick Building Syndrome: Sick building syndrome refers to situations when people who occupy a building begin to experience health issues that can be attributable to the amount of time they spend in a building but a specific illness or cause of discomfort is not identifiable.

Bibliography

A growing problem. (2007). NEA Today, 25 , 13. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24310954&site=ehost-live

Alexander, D., & Lewis, L. (2014). Condition of America’s public school facilities, 2012–13 (NCES 2014-022). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014022.pdf

Belle, K., Ütebay, K., & McArthur, A. (2012). Making the case for sustainable K-12 school environmental health programs. Educational Facility Planner, 46 (2/3), 74–77. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=86894232&site=ehost-live

Buchanan, B. (2007). Sick buildings, sick students. American School Board Journal, 194 , 48–50. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=25056705&site=ehost-live

Colgan, C. (2003). Is mold the new asbestos? American School Board Journal 190 , 14–18. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=11049839&site=ehost-live

Dunne, D. (2001). Sick schools create dilemma for school districts. Retrieved December 11, 2007, from http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues178.shtml

Filardo, M., et al. (2013). The Center for Green Schools 2013 state of our schools report. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.bestfacilities.org/best-home/docuploads/pub/249%5F2013StateofOurSchoolsReport.pdf

Hays, L. (2000). Lawsuits in the air. American School & University, 72 , 35. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=3263561&site=ehost-live

Holloway, J. (2000). Healthy buildings, successful students. Educational Leadership, 57 , 88. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=3332041&site=ehost-live

Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Environmental hazards in America's schools. FOCUS on Colleges, Universities & Schools, 6, 1–9. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=69712967&site=ehost-live

Meng, Y. Y., Babey, S. H., & Wolstein, J. (2012). Asthma-related school absenteeism and school concentration of low-income students in California. Preventing Chronic Disease, 9. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database MEDLINE Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mdc&AN=22595322&site=ehost-live

Mold shuts N.J. middle school. (2012). American School & University, 85 , 10. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=84381461&site=ehost-live

National Center for Education Statistics. (1999). Condition of America's public school facilities: 1999. Retrieved December 11, 2007, from http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/2000032/index.asp?sectionID=5

Parent, B. (2007, July 20). Milton mold update. WCAX.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.wcax.com/story/6819495/milton-mold-update

Romeo, J. (2011). Mold in k-12 schools. School Planning & Management, 50 , 45–46. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67369844&site=ehost-live

Stricherz, M. (2001). Moldy buildings: Troubling trend for many districts. Education Week, 21 , 1. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5376972&site=ehost-live

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (1991). Indoor air facts no. 4 (revised): Sick building syndrome. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/sick%5Fbuilding%5Ffactsheet.pdf

United States General Accounting Office. (1996). School facilities: America's schools report differing conditions. Retrieved December 11, 2007 from http://www.gao.gov/archive/1996/he96103.pdf

Wis. students, teachers agree to settle lawsuit about mold. (2006). Education Week, 25 , 6. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20878190&site=ehost-live

Suggested Reading

Chase, J. (1995). Blueprint for a Green School. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Godish, T. (1994). Sick Buildings: Definition, Diagnosis and Mitigation. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Miller, N. (1995). The Healthy School Handbook: Conquering the Sick Building Syndrome and Other Environmental Hazards in and Around Your School. Washington, DC: National Education Association.

Roy, K. (2014). LAMP: Shining a light on safety. Science Scope, 37 , 74–75. Retrieved October 10, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=94636126&site=ehost-live