Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/477973
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N E T E A C H E S I N N O R T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A and doesn't want his name used, because doing so could jeop- ardize the settlement he received from his district. The CTA member, who breathed "contaminated air" in his poorly ventilated classroom, never had asthma as a child, but now takes asthma medication daily. Sometimes he has asthmatic flare-ups and has to take time off from teaching. He isn't alone. Other CTA members have litigated over dangerous air quality. In fact, three we talked to said they can't discuss what hap- pened to them, due to settlements reached with their districts. It's not known how many teachers are impacted by contaminants in their schools. Many schools are old and in poor condition with environmental conditions that pose increased risks to the health of staff and students, notes the EPA's publication "Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments." According to a CNN report, an estimated 14 million American children attend public schools that have unhealthy environmental conditions, including poor air quality. The report did not list the num- ber of school employees who may be impacted. Exposure to toxins impacts aca- demic achievement. According to the EPA, "Reducing exposure to environmental hazards in school can help children's health. Healthier school environments enable children to learn and produce more in the classroom, which can improve their performance and achievements later in life." Toxins come from a variety of sources. They may be spread from industrial plants in the area, or from pesticides sprayed on agricultural fields nearby. Materials thought to be safe in construction decades ago are now linked to illnesses. Then there's mold from water leakage, which causes asthma and other serious illnesses. "Toxins in schools is definitely a big problem," says Paula Din- erstein, senior counsel for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an organization in Washington, D.C., that represents government employees nationwide regarding environmental issues. "From what I can see, California has pretty good requirements I T W A S A N E X T R E M E LY H O T D AY I N R E D D I N G , so Karen Lawrence turned the air conditioner on in her classroom at Juniper Elementary School. It wasn't functioning properly, and a look at the grids showed that the air conditioner was filled with black, furry stuff, the third-grade teacher recalls. The next day, the right side of her face was swollen. She went to a doctor, who found a staph infection growing inside her sinuses. The district sent someone to investigate, who found the air conditioner in her classroom tested positive for toxic mold she had breathed in. Over the weekend, her district called in a hazardous materials company to replace ductwork and air conditioners throughout the district. Due to the staph infection, she needed surgery to have a growth in her sinuses removed. A month later she had to have a tooth extracted near the infected part of her jawbone — and part of her jawbone was also removed. For 50 days she was on an intravenous "PICC line," which injected antibiotics into the main artery of her heart. "I missed two and a half months of work," she recalls of that time in 2001. "But I was lucky. Fifty percent of people with a staph infection of the blood don't survive." H Feature Karen Lawrence was one of three teachers who became ill and one of two who ended up in the hospital. HELP, THERE'S MOLD IN MY ROOM! Toxins come from a variety of sources. 10 www.cta.org