GIRARD School acts to end itching problem

School officials said the bacteria are not related to Legionnaires' disease.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- School officials hope the disinfecting of heating units in Girard Intermediate School will end complaints by some teachers and pupils experiencing itchy eyes and skin.
Robert J. Foley, building principal, said today that the cleaning of some 30 units should be completed this weekend.
Classes have continued with its 408 pupils and 30 teachers.
Problem found: Foley said tests by Emerald Environmental Inc. of Akron and Kent found what amounts to inert bacteria in the air ducts.
Foley said all air filters in the school were replaced the first of the year on the orders of school Superintendent Anthony D'Ambrosio.
The intermediate school is a new building; it opened in September, replacing Tod Woods Intermediate School.
There were no complaints of itchy skin and burning eyes until the heating season. Mostly teachers and some pupils experienced the discomfort, Foley explained.
Germs found: Foley said a worker disassembled a heating unit and found dust clinging to a lubricant on the blower motor. A sample of the dust found it contained bacteria, the principal said, and the unit was disinfected with bleach.
Foley said the decision was made to disinfect all of the 30 heating units in the school. The work began Wednesday after school and will be completed during the weekend.
"I'm hoping this is what it is," Foley said. "Then, we're done with it."
Tests have found no bacteria in the paint, tiles, furniture and carpeting, he added.
No Legionnaires': D'Ambrosio released a statement today saying tests show that the bacteria do not cause Legionnaires' disease.
James Dobson, city deputy health commissioner, said Legionnaires' disease stems from water sources. At the middle school, the bacteria are in the heating system.
Also, Dobson said, the symptoms of Legionnaires' occur in the respiratory system, not the eyes and skin.