Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501310121
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SPOTSYLVANIA LENGTH: Medium
The Spotsylvania County school has been plagued since fall by an elusive odor that students, teachers and staff say has caused headaches, dizziness, fatigue and breathing problems.
The team from Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern of Roanoke, which included an industrial hygienist, a biochemist and a civil engineer, has examined the school.
Reporting Friday to a special meeting of the School Board, the team members said they were unable to detect the odor. But the consultants pointed to low humidity levels as a possible factor. The school system's maintenance crew would work over the weekend to get humidity levels within a normal range, school officials said.
The team will report more conclusive results Friday after studying air-quality tests, water samples and findings from staff interviews. The firm also will analyze the contents of murky water from a recently repaired kitchen drain.
If the team's report recommends it, the School Board will consider relocating the student body, board members said.
The school could be closed as early as Feb. 13, and students could be sent to another building, such as the former Spotsylvania Middle School, which is now vacant. Administrators said the staff would need about 10 days to move students to another school.
However, school Superintendent Alan Farley said he could see no reason to close the school, based on preliminary information.
The school system has been working since November to find the source of the problem. In December, five cafeteria workers were taken to the hospital after they were overcome with sewer gas fumes. Although repairs to sewer drains were made, the odor persisted. In past weeks, school officials rerouted ventilation away from sewer vents and repaired an air-handling unit that was not operating properly.
County sanitation workers on Thursday installed a sewer vent across the road from the school. Workers now theorize that the school may be acting as a vent for the county's septic system because it is at the end of the septic line. School officials say there hasn't been enough time to see if the latest venting measure has corrected the problem.
The consultants recommended flushing the school's drains daily before students arrive. The questionable kitchen drain will be sealed to keep it from emitting fumes. The kitchen will be closed temporarily, and meals will be prepared at a location outside the school, Farley said.
Several frustrated parents berated the School Board for not resolving the problem sooner. They said their children's grades have dipped because they aren't able to concentrate on school work. They worry about their children's health and any long-term effects the fumes may have.
Special education teacher Shelia Gallagher said she can't take the ailments anymore. She's suffered from headaches, dizziness and fatigue since September. For the sake of her health, she's taking a leave of absence for a month.
``I don't have allergies, and I don't smoke,'' she said. ``I've gone to several different doctors, and I've been on antibiotics.''
by CNB