Most school buildings are used 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. There are before school programs, after school activities, weekend programs and maybe even outside groups use the space as well. The custodians work hard to keep classrooms, gyms and cafeterias clean. They often work around the clock because the buildings are so heavily used. What about the ventilation systems in the buildings? What attention is given to the ‘lungs of the building’? Is there a program in place to assure you that the furnaces, air ducts, unit ventilators and even air conditioners are cleaned regularly? Can you be assured your child is not breathing in dust, mold or other environmental particles that normally circulate like pollen, dust and dirt? Have renovations been done in the building? Floors replaced or sanded in the summer months when the kids are on summer break? This construction debris could land in the duct system!
Have you noticed your child feels ill in school or his or her asthma flares during school hours? Your child deserves a safe and healthy environment as do the teachers and other employees.
What can you do? According to HEALTHYSCHOOLS.ORG, “There are 130,000 public and private schools enrolling 55 million children and employing 7 million adults”. “The EPA reports that ½ of all schools have problems with indoor pollution. This contributes to rising asthma cases, absenteeism, concentration and headaches…” School officials take all such matters very seriously. Call the principle or superintendent and ask! Write a letter to the superintendent or bring it to your PTA to address. There is excellent information on Healthy Schools Network, Inc. regarding Molds At School. Take time to look them up and their articles can give you insight on how to approach the issue.
Advanced Furnace & Air Duct Cleaning, Inc. has worked in many, many schools across the State of New Jersey. We have state of the art equipment and the necessary man power and training to conquer the problems often seen in schools. IT is extremely important that a qualified duct cleaning company is used! If there is a mold issue in your school or renovations are made, make sure all the work to remediate and construction is complete before cleaning the duct work. It is the very last service that should be completed.