Indoor Air Quality Solutions, IAQS

At a time students should be focused on studying, some will be packing up and moving from one apartment to another.

“They’re moving me to another apartment and it’s inconvenient,” student Alejandro Racines told Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

Management at the Pegasus Landing apartments sent about 200 notices out last week telling students they will have to move during the Thanksgiving holiday; some will even be assigned new roommates.

The notice states the move comes due to ongoing renovations and upgrades, but students say management is not being honest. They believe it’s due to a mold problem that caused the University of Central Florida to stop referring students to the complex this summer.

“I’m pretty sure it could have something to do with the mold that could be still going on,” one student said.

Management and the University said they will be providing help with relocation.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — Over 200 University of Central Florida (UCF) students told WFTV Monday they are being forced to move during final exams. The students were told they have to leave their apartments in Pegasus Landing (see map), near the UCF campus, in a matter of weeks.

The students were told the apartments were undergoing renovations, but said they don’t believe it. Last week, more than 200 students received last minute relocation notices, which didn’t go over well with tenants.

“They’re moving me to another apartment and it’s inconvenient, because we got to change our address,” student Alejandro Racines said. “I think that’s not really fair.”

According to the notice, the moves are a part of the complex’s master plan. It’s making changes and upgrades to some of its buildings, but students say management isn’t being upfront and refuses to tell them exactly what changes are being made.

“What they told me is that it there was water damage on my floor, for example, but I’m pretty sure it could have something to do with the mold that’s still going on,” Racines said.

Over the summer, UCF announced it was no longer referring students to the complex because of a serious mold problem. Students like Michelle Calabro were forced to move then, too. Now she’s being forced to move again during the Thanksgiving holiday and her final exams period.

“I need to study for my finals. I don’t have the time to move every single thing out of my room into another place,” Calabro said.

To make matters worse, in some cases, the student will be reassigned new roommates. According to the notice, UCF will provide help to the students when they move.

WFTV asked students what management would do if they did not abide by the rules.

“Yeah, we get evicted. You get kicked out. You still have to pay,” student Hunter Strickland said.

UCF says it’s received so many complaints about the complex it’s setup a website dedicated to help students who live there. It’s called “The Landing Assistance Network.”

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

“Whats In the Air you Breathe?”

Your Indoor Air is invisible but it is the most basic, life-sustaining feature of your home. Preventive measures, ventilation, and daily habits play a role in protecting your home’s precious supply.

Sources of Indoor Contaminants

•1. Dirt and Dust: Outdoor soil can contain fertilizer, pesticides and more. Tracked in, it becomes part of the indoor dust, which already holds dander, dust mites, plastics, possibly lead or asbestos from indoor sources, etc. As dust becomes airborne, these substances may enter the body and cause symptoms ranging from asthma and allergy _are-ups to even nervous system damage and cancer.

•2. Mold: Airborne mold spores and mold fragments can trigger asthma and allergy episodes.

•3. VOCs: Volatile organic compounds are found in cleaning liquids, paints, solvents and many more household supplies. They volatize or “o_ gas” into the air. Not all are harmful, but at high levels, many can cause a range of symptoms from short-term irritation to more ominous organ damage and cancer. The impact of lower levels and of mixtures of VOCsis under discussion or unknown, but reducing exposure is generally a good policy.

•4. Formaldehyde: This VOCis used in a wide variety of household products. Manufacturers have scaled back – but in many cases not eliminated – its use. It is a known carcinogen and may also trigger asthma attacks and irritate the eyes and respiratory system. O_ gassingcan continue for years, decreasing over time.

•5. Asbestos: Found in some insulation, _reproo_ngmaterials, acoustic tile and “popcorn” ceilings, these tiny particles can cause lung-tissue damage and cancer. Asbestos containing materials are harmless as long as they stay intact, but disintegration frees the _bers to enter the airspace and the lungs.

•6. Lead: Damaging to the nervous system, lead can enter the air as dust. Blood lead levels have dropped dramatically since the 1980s, indicating that unleaded gasoline and strategies regarding lead paint and lead pipes are working. Continued vigilance in the home is recommended, especially if your home is older.

•7. Moisture: Water leaks and high relative humidity encourage mold growth, dust mite proliferation and increased formaldehyde emissions from building materials, furnishings and other household items. These irritants can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms.

•8. Carbon Monoxide: Fuel-burning appliances and idling cars in attached garages can release carbon monoxide into the home, causing about 500 preventable deaths each year. The gas causes thousands more to become ill.

•9. Radon: Radioactive gas can cause lung cancer – no smoking necessary. The EPA estimates radon causes 21,000 preventable deaths each year. Radon testing is quite inexpensive and almost effort-free.

Correcting the Contaminants Source
•1. Eliminate; Often, the most reliable method of protecting yourself from unhealthy exposures in the home is simply to make sure harmful materials and contaminants are not present. Building or furnishing carefully with less hazardous materials, as well as proper cleaning eliminates many health threats.

•2. Separate; When removal is not advisable or not possible, reduce exposure by creating a sealed barrier. For example, tight wall construction keeps potentially hazardous insulation particles out of the living space.

•3. Ventilate; Reduce remainingair contaminants by regularly lettingstale air out and fresh air in. Balancing in and out airflowsin this process provides fresh air for your family and prevents a vacuum from formingand drawing air from a dangerous source like the furnace exhaust.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Florida schools resort to triage in fixing aging, leaky buildings
October 30, 2010|By Denise-Marie Balona, Orlando Sentinel

Bill Smith sends this warning to Florida’s teachers, students and parents: If you think indoor-air quality in public schools is bad now, just wait a few years.

It could get a lot worse, said Smith, president of the state group representing school-facilities planners.

During the past few years, the Florida Legislature has cut hundreds of millions of dollars for public-school construction and maintenance.

“If you don’t have any money to fix roofs and air-conditioning systems, which are 50 percent of the cause of your air-quality problems, what do you do?” said Smith, facilities director for the Okaloosa County School District. “Where are we going to be in five years?”

As the economy weakened, state lawmakers dipped into school capital budgets to cover other education costs such as teacher salaries. They justified the change by noting that student enrollment had tapered or even dropped in many parts of the state, presumably making it less necessary to build new schools.

But this is the funding that also pays for renovations to older buildings and maintenance projects such as replacing roofs and air-conditioning systems — expensive undertakings that are crucial in the never-ending fight against mold and other indoor-air-quality problems.

Smith points out other factors that require vigilance in keeping school buildings safe: Florida is plagued with hurricanes and high humidity, which breed mold. And about one-quarter of public-school buildings are more than 40 years old.

But cuts in capital budgets have forced districts to postpone many of their bigger projects. Across Florida, renovations also have been put off indefinitely, leaving many districts to do minor repairs on roofs that need replaced.

It also means tinkering with older air conditioners to keep them working — albeit, not always very efficiently — years after the manufacturer recommends they be taken out.

Leaky, humid buildings are perfect places for growing mold, and health experts say children are particularly vulnerable to its potentially harmful effects. Symptoms can range from itchy eyes and runny noses to respiratory infections and difficulty breathing.

In a recent report, the Orlando Sentinel documented thousands of complaints from Central Florida educators, parents and others about mold and other air-quality problems in classrooms, media centers and other school buildings.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com