No startling revelations in Vets Junior High air study

Warwick Beacon ·

Although mold testing hasn’t yet been conducted, an independent air quality study at Veterans Memorial Junior High School has provided insight into other conditions in need of improvement.

Dan Simas of Environmental Consulting and Management of Riverside, the company that conducted the air quality test, said mold testing should be completed in the future.

School Committee Member David Testa said other details revealed in the report weren’t surprising.

“Based on conversations I've had with the Buildings Director in Cranston and others in that field, it's pretty much what I expected,” he said Friday. “The bottom line is that the heating system - an obsolete water based steam system - is in dire need of replacement. The new HVAC system should alleviate the problems that have plagued Vets.” 

The 13-page report says the testing was done during normal school hours in “readily accessible areas” (this excludes places such as above drop ceilings, inside duct work, or in the crawlspace) that are occupied by students and faculty.

Faculty and staff were accommodating and allowed access to areas necessary to the testing, it adds. The building was found to be “generally clean” and less than 20 percent of classrooms had their windows open as temperatures outside were chilly.

The $6,930 report says readings detected levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (defined as “chemicals used to manufacture and maintain building materials, interior furnishing, cleaning products, and personal care products”), hydrogen sulfide, and oxygen were all within ranges recommended by American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) – no hydrogen sulfide or carbon monoxide was detected. Some rooms were using dehumidifiers and relative humidity in several areas of the building was low, but such a condition is not uncommon in winter months, it says. Plus, it adds, low humidity is often a cause of irritation and dryness of eyes, nose, and throat (which some Vets parents have reported their children have experienced).

Average temperature levels in the building were found to be within the ASHRAE recommended ranges (between 68 and 76 degrees during the winter) – only a few of the rooms that were heavily occupied and had windows closed reached temperatures close to 78 degrees.

The report described carbon dioxide levels in the building to be between 403 and 4,130 parts per million, with most rooms having levels of over 1,000 ppm (for reference: the report says that levels between 350 and 1,000 ppm are indoor occupied spaces with good air exchange; levels between 1,000 and 5,000 can cause complaints of drowsiness, poor air quality, headaches, loss concentration, sleepiness and stale air; and levels above 5,000 ppm are the permissible exposure limit for occupied spaces as toxicity could occur). The rooms, mostly in the 900, D, and B wings, that had the highest levels were those with their windows closed or only slightly open and had a large number of active students. Classrooms with open windows performed better. Upgrades to the ventilation system in the building are some set to be made between this and next summer. According to the report, fresh air intake, overall air quality, and air circulation can be increased once rooftop HVAC units are installed.

The report says the most significant issue observed in the building was water damage to ceiling tiles.

“The original 1’x1’ spline tiles show signs of water damage from either current or past issues from condensation on uninsulated piping in the ceiling above, or inadequacies in the roofing causing exterior water intrusion.

According to Warwick School Department representatives, the roofing has been completely redone since 2014, and any ceiling tile damage related to roofing are from past events,” it reads.

The damage, according to the report, seems to have come from steam piping deficiencies that are scheduled for address. The report recommends replacing the damaged tiles in the drop ceiling as soon as possible as well as addressing the spline ceiling tiles during steam heating system upgrades.

Asked Friday for comment on a course of action, Superintendent Philip Thornton responded that the report and further actions would be discussed at tonight’s School Committee meeting.