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Status ReportWeek ending November 16, 2001 Parent summary: Several key issues have been addressed this past week. We have the following to report as of Friday November 16, 2001: School air filtration system: The BOE has retained the well-regarded firm of Burns and Roe to address the filtration problem. B&R has completed a walk-thru of the school and obtained a detailed set of engineering drawings from the BOE. Burns and Roe has been asked to evaluate the retrofitting of the HVAC system to enable it to utilize HEPA and Charcoal filters. Overall we view this as a major step toward understanding the true complexity of the issues and finally addressing the air filtration problem effectively. From this point forward Burns and Roe will be responsible for development of all engineering solutions to the air filtration problem. Mr. Bader will continue to interface with B&R as a representative of the committee. Mr Bader will not be responsible for development of engineering solutions with respect to the HVAC system. This responsibility is solely that of BOE and Burns and Roe. Dr. Manu Lall will oversee this issue for the committee. As of the date of this report the ducts in the HVAC system have not been cleaned in accordance with our initial request. We will continue to work with the BOE on this issue. BOE has confirmed order placement of the interim, 4 ply ring filters, and expects to have them installed this coming week. The committee also wishes to clarify a point made by Mr. Bader during the PA meeting this week which implied that BMCC has achieved a 3 fold improvement in air quality over the Stuyvesant environment by installation of improved filters. Further investigation of this issue has revealed that the BMCC air conditioning system is dramatically different in design and therefore cannot be objectively compared to the Stuyvesant system. Specifically the Stuyvesant HVAC system is not a fully centralized system (like BMCC) but rather is a system which combines hundreds of individual unit ventilators with some measure of centralized functions. Thus the Stuyvesant HVAC system is far more difficult to upgrade and maintain. Therefore we feel that an objective comparison between the BMCC and Stuyvesant systems is not appropriate. This does not diminish the need for the Stuyvesant system to ultimately provide the highest levels of filtration practically possible. Medical incident reporting system: The committee has logged a formal request with the BOE for a copy of the on-going medical study currently, being executed at the school. Also, as part of the committees efforts in this area we are examining the possibility of developing a "Fast Response" medical incident reporting. This is a complex problem that requires coordination between several groups of experts. We will keep you informed on this issue in future updates. Dr. Malik will be coordinating this effort along with Charles Mauro. Cleaning of the Bridge: This week the bridge has been cleaned both on the outside and inside. This appears to be the first comprehensive cleaning in several weeks. We hope to see this procedure repeated on a regular basis. The committee will monitor this issue for future reports. The Barge problem: Marilena Christodoulou, the PA Board President, and Fran Meyerson, a PA Board Member met on Wednesday with representatives of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to discuss options for addressing this problem. Marilena also testified before the City Council Education Committee on this and other matters. The PA Presidents of the affected schools in the area also testified on this matter and urged the City Council to address the issue of the barge. The City Council committed to assist the schools in solving the problem. Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, a Stuyvesant graduate, was especially helpful at this meeting. We will continue to report on this issue Air quality sampling in the school: A detailed review of the readings inside the school show particulate matter generally within acceptable limits for this past week. However, in the interest of being comprehensive, the committee has begun a detailed examination of the methods and protocols being employed by all who sample in the school. There are variations in readings flowing from the various testing tools and methods being used in the school. We feel that these methods must be investigated to determine why we are obtaining sample variations. Mr. Bader is working on this problem and is being assisted by Mr. Newman of the HSC. We would also like to note that Columbia University has begun sampling in the school. This effort is being lead by Dr. Steven Chillrud a widely acknowledged expert in complex air sampling and data interpretation. Dr. Chillrud works with Dr. Lall and the PA on air sampling issues. We expect the Columbia sampling data to add important insights into the overall status of the interior environment of the school. The PA was contacted by the Healthy Schools Network, Inc. an organization committed to improving school facility conditions and practices. Executive Director Claire Barnett visited the School on November 15th. Psychological issues: The President of the PA is investigating forming a new committee to address these issues. Stuyvesant High School Parents Association |
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