SAUGUS SCHOOLS TOXIN-FREE; DISTRICT GETS GO-AHEAD FOR AUG. 18 START OF CLASSES.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

State health experts who tested portable classrooms in the Saugus Union School District found safe levels of toxic chemicals and no sign of mold, clearing them to be used when classes start next week, officials said Tuesday.

Air quality tests conducted at the Rio Vista and Helmers elementary schools found normal or below-normal levels of arsenic, formaldehyde, benzene and other manufacturing chemicals, according to a report released by Richard Kreutzer, chief of the Environmental Health Investigations Branch for the state Department of Health Services.

Officials who took samples of the air and the physical shell of the portable classrooms, in a search for mold and spores, found no sign of the poisonous stachybotris, which sickened two teachers and several students this past spring.

``The results for students and teachers have been improperly interpreted as evidence of classroom exposure and as increased risk for disease,'' the report states. ``At the request of parents, DHS staff have framed their conclusion in personal terms. We would allow our children to attend school in any SUSD classroom if it is properly maintained and ventilated.''

An informational meeting for parents is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Mountainview Elementary School multipurpose room, 27300 N. Grandview Drive, to discuss the findings. Another meeting for pediatricians and allergists will be held Friday morning, when state health officials will update health care workers on indoor air quality standards and issues.

Earlier this summer, parents and a local toxicologist, Dr. Gary Ordog, questioned whether the teachers and students could have been exposed to toxic chemicals and mold in the portable classrooms.

Because all portable classrooms vary in age and quality of maintenance around the state, Kreutzer said the study of Saugus portables will have limited relevance to other air quality controversies related to portable classrooms in other parts of the state.

``This case was significant in the unusual amount of parental concern that surrounded it,'' Kreutzer said.

School board President Eileen Connolly, who has a daughter in fifth grade, said she was satisfied with the results.

``It's actually been what we expected to hear,'' she said. ``Everything we'd seen so far led us to believe the bungalows would come up clean.''

Concerns linger in the mind of Louise Logan of Valencia, whose daughter attended Helmers Elementary School in Room 24 last year and is now undergoing tests for environmental sicknesses.

She didn't find it surprising that toxicologists didn't find high levels of toxins because the portable classrooms were well-ventilated during the tests - which likely wasn't the case when class was in session.

``What the air is like now doesn't tell me what it was like then. I'd like to see the district's maintenance reports, to see which vents and fans in the portables needed repairs this summer,'' she said.

Kreutzer also said the portables are as safe as any other public building if they're well-ventilated and kept away from sources of pollution.

DHS findings solidify an Aug. 18 opening day for Saugus schools, said Superintendent Gail Wickstrom, crediting the state toxicologists, as well as participation of the Environmental Protection Agency, for expediting their investigation to meet that deadline.

``After analyzing all of this, they have said it is safe to educate children in any of buildings, so school can begin on Aug. 18,'' she said in a prepared statement.

School officials intend to follow, or already have implemented, the 10 recommendations made by the state in its report, said district spokeswoman Pam Gardner.

They include updating the district policy on indoor air quality to reflect new federal standards; monitoring of those classrooms tested at Rio Vista and Helmers; testing the indoor air quality of new portable classrooms; forming a parental oversight committee; and upgrading ventilation fans.

EPA standards require air inside all portable classrooms to be exchanged with outdoor air three to four times per hour to prevent a buildup of carbon dioxide and other particles and chemicals that could aggravate asthma or lead to other illnesses, officials said.

The district also is implementing the Tools for Schools program, which trains faculty members to watch for environmental air quality hazards, such as broken fans, unusual or excessive moisture and water damage.

For students who were diagnosed with high levels of arsenic or benzene in their blood, the state recommends they receive a second round of screenings and continued monitoring to find the source of pollutants.

Results didn't come as a shock to state toxicologists who have investigated the indoor air quality of Saugus schools throughout the summer.

Jed Waldman, chief toxicologist for the health department's indoor air quality section, said visual inspections conducted Aug. 4 showed no signs of water damage, which generally causes mold growth, or high levels of chemicals used in the manufacture of portables in the air.

``In almost all cases, you can see it or smell it if it's there,'' Waldman said, referring to mold. ``I think we'd all be surprised if anything from the laboratory contradicted the visual inspections.''