Toxic Mold:

Did one School District Keep Parents in the Dark?

February 2, 2001

WESTERN WASHINGTON - Watch KOMO 4 News tonight at 11 for Emily Langlie's special report on toxic mold in our schools. More than half of our nation's schools have poor air quality, according to a 1995 study. In our wet Northwest climate the cause of that poor air quality is sometimes mold -- toxic mold. More and more school districts are having to deal with mold problems in schools. Now a former employee says her district was not as open with parents as it should have been. Did the district keep parents in the dark?

Sickness in the Health Room

Frank Wagner Middle School is a historic old school in Snohomish County. Karen Wallburn worked in the Health Room. She took care of sick kids -- when she wasn't sick herself. Last year she was sick a lot. "October I was sick, November I was worse," she says. "December I think I was sick more than I made it to work. I missed more work than I have in 10 years." In March the smell in the Health Room was suddenly overwhelming. "I walked in my office and the smell was horrible," says Wallburn. "It was like something died."

Even Evidence of Cancer

A teacher in the room next door noticed something else. "In the course of just working with the classroom she noticed that portions of this wall were soft, which certainly indicated that there was a leak," according to Rosemary O'Neil, the Monroe School District public information officer. The district called in experts, who found toxic molds in the walls: stachybotrys, aspergillus and penicillium. An allergist describes the possible health impacts: "Molds can cause hay fever, asthma, fatigue, headaches, sore throat," says Dr. Phillip Ranheim. "We can get mental changes out of mold, suppression of the immune system -- there's even some evidence that molds can cause cancer."

I am Concerned'

Ranheim is outspoken about the health effects of mold. Not all of the medical establishment agrees with him. "I'm not trying to be alarmist but I am concerned," he says. Toxic mold has shut down schools before. White Center Elementary in the Highline District was one of the first. Seattle's Wedgwood Elementary opened late in 1999 because of mold. And in Southwest Washington, toxic mold forced students at Toutle Lake High School to move classes to a greenhouse. At Vashon High School, the kids say toxic mold was making them sick. School closed for three days. By contrast, they took a pretty low-key approach at Frank Wagner Middle School.

The T-Word Avoided

"I've got a copy of everything that went home to parents," says Wallburn. "News letters, special letters, telling parents, 'We're sorry your child's classroom is being closed because of mold.' But that's all it said, mold. It never said that it was dangerous or toxic or that their children's health could be impaired because of it." The school moved classes, but the first note to parents mentioned only a steam leak. Later notes mentioned mold but never toxic mold -- and never a mention of health dangers. "Out of 13 molds I tested abnormally for nine!" says Wallburn. "Way abnormally."

Critical Performance Review

When Wallburn shared her blood tests at daily staff meetings about the mold, the principal criticized her in a performance review. It read: "It would be appropriate for Karen to share any health issues with the administration before sharing with the larger school /public community. An example of this would be Karen sharing issues of mold with the community prior to reviewing with administration." Wallburn claims the district told staff to keep quiet. She points to a note from a teacher upset that the principal accused them of talking to parents.

No Special Meetings

The head of the PTA is also the public information officer for the district. She says the district consulted experts, and that parents were welcome to come in and ask questions. "It was all very available if people wanted to do that," says O'Neil. But there were no special meetings, no special speakers on health effects. "We contacted parents whose children had allergic concerns," says O'Neil, "and there didn't seem to be parent interest to have to do that (have a meeting)."

Open Communication is the Key'

"I think open communication is the key," says Harriet Ammann, the state Department of Health's leading expert on mold. She says there's lots of misinformation, ranging from "'It's not a problem at all' which we know not to be true to 'It's an overwhelming problem' which we also know not to be true." So Ammann says the best choice is to share as much accurate information as possible. Wallburn says of the Monroe situation that "if you didn't know to ask you weren't given the information." She no longer works for the school district, and her health is improving. But she now knows more than she ever wanted to about toxic mold.