Janitors Sick From School's Cleaning Chemical Fumes

A northeast Houston middle school is set to open its doors today, according to the Houston Chronicle, despite objections from union officials representing teachers and custodial staff. The union maintains that the campus should remain closed until mold-related health concerns are thoroughly evaluated and, if necessary, alleviated.

In preparing the school for the start of the new year, seven janitors became sick, and were treated at a local hospital, after inhaling bleach fumes from cleaning. School officials say the cleaning was not related to the mold that was recently discovered in one area of the facility.

Texas officials have officially given Key Middle School a clean bill of health, but union officials argue that more testing is needed to ensure indoor air quality will not be a threat.

The story highlights both the importance of proper mold mitigation and testing — as molds can be extremely toxic, aggravate asthma and cause illness — as well as the need to switch to less toxic cleaning products for homes, schools and businesses. So many staff members being sickened by chemical fumes makes one wonder how safe it may be for young children, who have less developed immune systems and smaller body weights, to be breathing the residues of toxic chemicals.

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