School indoor air quality
Related information

Mold…It’s Not Just in Your Bread and Cheese

When it comes to talk of indoor air pollution, most people’s minds conjure up toxic chemical fumes, dust from lead-based paints, asbestos, among others. But most people don’t think about another serious cause of indoor air pollution: Mold.

Inhaling mold fragments or mold spores can affect people with allergic problems, asthma, and even people who don’t have allergies or respiratory problems. For example, infants, toddlers, children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems also have a higher risk for health problems from elevated levels of mold spores.

The severity of the health effects of mold exposure vary widely depending on such  factors such as the amount of mold, what type of mold it is (some species of mold actually product toxic chemical), how close the person is to areas of mold growth, how much time that person spends in the building, and so on.

Regardless, though indoor air quality experts agree that when buildings contain visible mold or have moldy odors, the risk of health problems is increased and it is time to remove the mold from the building.

To find out more about how your schools should be handling mold prevention and mold removal efforts, so that you know if they are doing what they should be, click here to download a document entitled “Mold in My School: What Do I Do?” from the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (located at www.edfacilities.org)