The News 3 investigative team has been looking into mold problems at Carrollton Elementary School.
There are two reports that show mold and air quality issues were detected at the school after a group called Marine Chemist Service, Inc. conducted mold inspections last spring.
Investigations
Photos: Black mold was found inside Carrollton Elementary School, report says
It states that stachybotrys, also known as black mold, was found in eight rooms in the school. The report says no amount of stachybotrys should be present on indoor samples.
The report also found that the relative humidity readings in almost all the classrooms were not within the Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable range.
News 3 showed the findings to two experts from Old Dominion University, Dr. Joshua Sill and Dr. Jim Blando. After looking at the findings, they both said the school has a mold issue, but it does not appear to be a severe problem.
“I think that, for the most part, that most of the levels found in some of those rooms were extremely low. So hopefully, it hasn't negatively impacted the health of the kids up to this point," said Dr. Joshua Sill, the Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at ODU.
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He said it is important to address the issues and make sure it does not get worse and impact the health of the children or staff over time.
Both experts say people with asthma or pre-existing medical conditions could be at greater risk for being impacted by this kind of mold.
“There is a lot of variability from person to person," said Dr. Sill. "Some people can be exposed to the same amounts of mold and be completely fine and then other people could be extremely symptomatic."
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The Isle of Wight County School District shared the following statement on the issue:
"Carrollton Elementary School has experienced issues with their HVAC system for many years. While patches have been made to the system over time, the Isle of Wight County School Board and Board of Supervisors have made the complete replacement of the system at Carrollton a priority. The project, which is estimated to cost $7 million, will rectify heating, cooling, moisture, and air circulation issues at Carrollton Elementary.An air quality test was conducted in April 2024 for classrooms and common areas throughout Carrollton Elementary. Upon receipt of the testing results and the identification of high levels of mold, and stachybotrys mold, IWCS began implementing recommendations outlined in the report. Air scrubbers were used throughout the building, potential water leaks were investigated and repaired, and areas in and around air vents were cleaned. In addition, each classroom received an air purifier with Hepa filtration capable of removing 99.9% of harmful particles. The air purifiers are still in place.
We are retesting the rooms and areas that returned high counts of mold, including those spaces with identified stachybotrys. We continue to check for leaks and clean air vents/surfaces with mold inhibiting products. Water-damaged ceiling tiles are being replaced. We will also be testing the humidity levels in rooms to identify areas where the relative humidity is above 60%. For those spaces, we will add dehumidifiers in order to decrease the moisture level in the air. While every home or business has "normal" levels of mold, comparing indoor levels to a control sample collected from outside of the building determines what is acceptable.
We are responsive to the concerns of our employees and parents, and will continue to implement these measures to ensure a safe, healthy school environment at Carrollton Elementary. Isle of Wight County Schools appreciates the commitment of the School Board and Board of Supervisors to resolving these ongoing issues by investing in a new, building-wide HVAC system."
Experts say the key to preventing mold growth is moisture control.
“There is a very easy solution: stop the water leaks, fix the water leaks immediately, dry out surfaces and replace any moldy material and if it can't be replaced, then you have to clean it,” said Dr. Blando.
