Expert: Dave Russell - 3/2/2001

Question
My school has developed mold in walls, floors, and ceilings...and suddenly almost every student suddenly came down with a cold, mostly in the throat. (Sore throat, losing OR gravelly voice)
Can mold cause a cold epidemic in a matter of two weeks? Or air quality?

Answer
There is a short answer and a long answer to your question, and one is an unqualfied yes, and the other is a qualified yes.
There are a number of things which molds can do.  They grow well in moist warm environments.  Now consider what the inside of your lungs looks like.  That is a warm moist environment.
You may not have had mold growing in your lungs, but you probably had an antigen reaction to the spores.  Another way of looking at it is ask yourself about pollen and allergies. If you have ever had a pollen allergy, and I'm partially affected at least in the Atlanta Spring, that is comparable to a mold growth.  The cause is partially related to air quality and may have more to do with mold spores in the air in the classroom but that's an unknown right now.  It may have been the spores or it may have been something related to the mold.  It probably was not the mold itself, but if you have a classroom of sick kids, I'm about willing to bet that you all have developed some minor irritation which is related to the mold.
Now in answer to the question you haven't asked, you have the janitorial staff come in on a weekend and spray and wash down the wall with anti-fungal compounds on Friday night and was and scrub down the walls and other contaminated surfaces, and I would recommend vacuuming the room surfaces using a HEPA filter (your local asbestos remediation contractor has this equipment) after the anti-fungal compounds are throroughly dry.  Then the classroom can be re-occupied.
Finally, we haven't address the cause of the mold.  Moisture on something.  Have the janitorial staff find out why the mold grew there in the first place.  Moisture is the key.
Drop me a line directly if you need more help or support.
Dave Russell
dlr@mindspring.com