BLUE ASH — Maple Dale Elementary students are expected to return to school Tuesday after missing two days because of minor mold contamination in the building.

        Mold was found in a ceiling tile in a small storage closet Thursday afternoon and was removed that night. Twelve other samples, taken throughout the K-4 school in late January, showed no signs of contamination.

        Administrators from Sycamore Community Schools, who were concerned about health risks after getting the January test results Thursday, closed the school Friday and Monday until they could review results from new tests taken after the tile was removed. Those test results are due Monday, and if clear, school will resume the next day, said Krista Ramsey, district spokeswoman.

        “We might be overly cautious. (But) it's the only decision you can make when you're not 100 percent sure,” said Maple Dale Principal Linda Wulff.

        Representatives from environmental health agencies and the Hamilton County Health Department visited the school Friday to discuss further precautions. Environmental Risk Management Inc., the Harrison company that conducted the January testing and removed the material, said the mold was contained in a 2-by-4-foot ceiling tile.

        The tile was found in a 5-by-7-foot storage closet. No students have access to the closet.

        School administrators began investigating when teachers complained about headaches and allergies last month. Third-grade teacher Christy Smith said she noticed symptoms in fall 1999.

        “I was having frequent headaches and allergic reactions, such as itching. I had never had those symptoms before,” Mrs. Smith said.

        Symptoms continued daily, so she requested that her classroom be checked last winter. Her symptoms subsided after a general cleanup.

        There are no standards established for mold exposure, with some people bothered by it and others not affected at all, said Richard Gilgrist, assistant area director for the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

        “Everybody has a different response. Not everyone is going to react the same,” Mr. Gilgrist said.

        “Someone who has a pre-existing condition — such as asthma — is more likely to be affected than someone who doesn't. Younger children and mature adults are more at risk.”

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