A completed Master’s degree is just around the corner, but first, my son, Shane must do a semester of student teaching. Two weeks ago he received his assignment, an almost-new high school North of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My husband and I were fortunate enough to see his school, but along the way we noticed a school with multiple portables or temporary buildings. “A-ha,” I thought as we traveled one curving road after another, “If Shane had been placed in a school with portables, the staff would have received an education about the potential poor air quality of temporary buildings and the simple solutions to help.”
Portables, temporary, relocatables or modular buildings – whatever the terminology - they are springing up all over the country in areas where people and tasks exceed the amount of space provided by traditional buildings or “stick construction.” Portables offer relatively quick and inexpensive solutions for schools, churches, and even military posts such as
These buildings are intended to provide flexibility and easy transfer in response to additional responsibilities and changing demographics, but the reality is that these temporary structures frequently become permanent. My primary area of concern, though, are the portables used for classrooms because of the large numbers of children who are affected, and in the true spirit of feeling concern once you or someone you love is potentially in a threatening situation, now I care more about the school staff too. Shane was diagnosed with asthma at the young age of nine months and continues to have sensitive airways.
The Modular Building Institute notes that there are currently more than 300,000 portables or relocatable classrooms in use across the
The bottom line -more than 450,000 students with susceptible airways are spending their classroom hours breathing air that may be questionable. Christopher Randolph, MD, FAAAI, draws the connection between asthma, mold and portables, “Mold growth that occurs in buildings has been associated with health problems, ranging from respiratory problems, cough and wheezing to headache, fatigue, weakness and even gastrointestinal symptoms.
There is excellent evidence that molds worsen existing allergy and asthma symptoms, particularly common molds, indoor and outdoor. Temporary structures within schools such as trailers and portable classrooms have been associated with moisture and mold and related conditions.” Air quality is important. Good health is at stake, but so is effective learning.
