MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW)- Concerned parents and researchers will attend the Horry County School Board meeting Monday to discuss their growing concerns over mold found in classrooms.

Right now, the school district is looking at hiring an environmental consulting service if mold issues arise in the future, but parents are still concerned and reached out to a microbiologist in the upstate who will address the school board.

Donnie Patterson has been fighting this issue in the Spartanburg area since April 2018, after he was exposed to toxic mold and became ill. 

Patterson has looked into all the air quality test reports given to Horry County parents and said they need meaningful data. He said the testing is not simulating real world conditions.

Patterson suggest the board uses the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index or ERMI developed by the EPA. ERMI collects samples and DNA from mold in dust is analyzed. 

This type of testing was recommended by the Institute of Medicine in 2004.

Air quality reports at St. James Elementary showed Aspergillus, which Patterson says can affect anyone. He’s worried about long term affects on students health.

“It can affect their learning. It can produce symptoms kind of like ADD, general brain fog, can’t concentrate, and can’t recall facts,” said Patterson.

Patterson said, “We’re already last in education in South Carolina. We don’t need anything else to interfere with the kids education, and we’re putting them in an environment that’s not conducive to learning.”

The latest air quality re-test at St. James Elementary shows no mold was found in a classroom. 

News 13 obtained billing records showing mold removal work done in Horry County school buildings in the last year. 

Documents show more than 20 schools put in work orders where staff has reported seeing and smelling mold or reported the potential for mold and mildew. 

A Forestbrook Middle School staff member requested an indoor air quality test on February 6th, 2019. The order said employees reported illness due to exposure of a contaminant within the building.

Their symptoms included itchy eyes, respiratory issues, sore throat and sinus infections. The work order said 10 rooms have reported visible mold on walls, window casings, and furniture. The order also indicates a moldy smell on rugs in the school.

Another work order from Aynor High School in March of 2018, said a teacher’s doctor suggested her classroom be inspected for mold after suffering respiratory issues. Documents show when inspected, school officials didn’t find anything out of the ordinary but did some cleaning and changed filters.

Patterson said this is an issue in aging schools across the state.
“You have these flat roofs on the schools and a lot of them are leaking and dripping onto the ceiling tiles, and you’re creating the perfect storm for mold to proliferate. The ceiling tiles are composed of materials that mold actually loves. It’s the perfect food for them,” said Patterson.

School officials said an indoor air quality test was not done at Forestbrook Middle School. The principal walked through the rooms reported in the work order with maintenance and facilities and their concerns were addressed.

South Carolina lawmakers are also concerned about mold in schools, and the House and Senate recently passed a mold reform bill. Patterson has been working with lawmakers on this legislation.

The bill aims to create a mold abatement and remediation committee. The committee’s goal would be to study the impact of mold in public areas. 

The bill is sponsored by several lawmakers across the state, a majority of which are from the upstate, where there are complaints of mold in several buildings, including a school.

The committee would also work to make public buildings more resilient to flood damage and mold growth.

Patterson said when he became sick from mold was surprised to find out there were no state laws regarding the issue.

“When I was infected. I called OSHA and DHEC and I was shocked to learn that there is nothing governing mold in indoor spaces in public places,” said Patterson.

Patterson said, “At that time, was when I really took to social media to write about it and noticed everybody that was reaching out with the same thing was a public school teacher. So that was really scary.”

The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk.