Mold Found in Biology Labs

“The situation is unknown, and therefore the risk is unknown, and the possibility of the symptoms [that mold causes] presenting themselves and causing problems for the people who work here […] is probably the biggest issue.” —Anonymous source

“The fact that someone has come in here and done a visual inspection [...] but we do not have a report yet is a critical concern. If [the report] has been generated, it has not been given to any of the administrative staff or the teaching staff of the school.” —Anonymous source

Mold has been discovered on lab equipment, countertops, refrigerator surfaces, drawers, ventilation systems, and lab models in Stuyvesant’s seventh floor labs. Though most of the mold has been cleaned out, some surfaces, especially porous ones, have not been completely cleared.

Symptoms of mold exposure are similar to those of allergies, which include sniffling, sneezing, respiratory irritation, and eye irritation. Reactions can differ in severity depending on the species.

“The situation is unknown, and therefore the risk is unknown, and the possibility of the symptoms [that mold causes] presenting themselves and causing problems for the people who work here […] is probably the biggest issue,” said a staff member, who asked to be kept anonymous. Members of the Stuyvesant community pushed to identify the type of mold in order to ensure the safety of students and faculty.

At the end of September, a member of the DOE’s Division of School Facilities was brought in to inspect the mold and help remove it. However, the type of mold was never discovered because no tests were completed to determine the species. “The people who visited us did a little bit of cleaning, but they said specifically that they make no representations or claims about the extent or nature of the condition that exists,” the anonymous source said. “They don’t know if it’s behind the walls, ceiling, cabinets, below flooring.”

Shortly after, however, a member of the United Federation of Teachers was brought in on September 25 to inspect some of the affected areas and to determine the species of the mold.

Though a test was administered, and the mold was found to be harmless, both science teachers and the administration were not given updates on the species or the safety of the mold. “The fact that someone has come in here and done a visual inspection [...] but we do not have a report yet is a critical concern,” the anonymous source said. “If [the report] has been generated, it has not been given to any of the administrative staff or the teaching staff of the school.”

While the mold does not pose any immediate threat to students using the lab facilities, members of the administration will continue to wait on an official report.