ENVIROMMENTAL HEALTH

John J. is a school nurse at Jackson Elementary School, which was built in 1960. Nurse John
has noticed that many students from Ms. Zee’s second grade class have come to the clinic
complaining about coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes. Nurse John has also
observed that Steven Tea, the only asthmatic student in Ms. Zee’s class, has had more asthma
attacks this year than he did last year. Because the rest of the school is not experiencing the
same respiratory problems, Nurse John is concerned that something in Ms. Zee’s classroom is
causing students to feel ill.
Nurse John decides to visit Ms. Zee’s classroom. Upon entering the classroom, one of the few
located in the school’s basement, John is struck by the powerful musty smell that inhabits the
room. While talking to Ms. Zee, John learns that the classroom has “smelled bad for years,”
and that students from previous years have complained about respiratory problems. Nurse
John notes that Ms. Zee has stuffed a blanket at the base of the classroom’s small rectangular
window near the ceiling because the window does not close completely.
John suspects that Ms. Zee’s classroom walls are contaminated with mold. Upon further
research, Nurse John learns that if water gets between the exterior and the interior of a
building’s wall, mold can grow in the moist environment. This situation can occur as the
result of construction defects in the building (e.g., leaky windows). Nurse John also learns
that people who are exposed to extensive mold growth may experience allergic reactions,
such as hay fever-like allergy symptoms, and that people who already have a chronic
respiratory disease, such as asthma, may experience difficulty breathing when exposed to
mold. Nurse John is concerned about the possible mold contamination effect on his asthmatic
student, Steven.

Questions

1. Identify the agent, host, and environment in this case study, and
describe how they interacted to bring about the occurrence of
disease.
Answer:

 Agent: Mold.

 Host: Students in Ms. Zee’s classroom.

 Environment: Damped wall caused by the leaky window.

 The agent, host, and environment interact to bring about the occurrence

of disease by the window leaking and draining water into the wall

generating a humid and damped environment that supports mold

growth. The reason it is such a problem is because the growth of the

 mold is exacerbating student’s allergies which can result in respiratory

disease in the long run.

2. Is the mold contamination in Ms. Zee’s room a point-source pollutant

or a non–point-source pollutant?
Answer:
The mold contamination in Ms. Zee’s room is a point-source pollutant.

3. What can Nurse John do to learn more about indoor air quality
(IAQ) and about what to do in case of mold?
Answer:
Nurse John can improve his understanding by carrying out research on indoor air quality

(IAQ) through the American Lung Association as well as the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA). These organization provide extent information of IAQ and how to

improve the air quality in schools for the safety of its students, faculty, and employees.

4. What are some possible interventions that Nurse John could apply to
address the mold contamination in Ms. Zee’s room?
Answer:
The possible interventions that Nurse John could apply to address the mold contamination

in Ms. Zee’s classroom are as follow: He could request a meeting with the director of the

school and board members including Ms. Zee to make suggestions and come up with

solutions to such tremendous problem. The areas that the mold is affective should be

replaced as well as the broken window. Furthermore, Nurse John should recommend Ms.

Zee to be allowed to move to a completely new room for the safety of her students and

her.

Dr. Monadel Khateeb