Work to address mould problems that shut down CedarBridge Academy is on target for completion in a few weeks, according to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education.

The upbeat message from the Ministry contrasted with claims from the founder of an American organisation aimed at stamping out school mould. Susan Brinchman, executive director of the Center for School Mold Help in California believes the problem may be so severe that the nine-year-old building ? Bermuda's largest public school ? will need to be demolished.

An intensive clean-up effort swung into action there after the closure last Wednesday due to environmental health concerns. Permanent Secretary Rosemary Tyrrell said yesterday that around 30 people, comprising of specialists assisted by staff, are working full time on the task. While students were shipped out to various harbour islands and Bermuda College yesterday for lessons, work to remove carpets and clean walls, air ducts, tiles, computers and books continued.

Mrs. Tyrrell said "ongoing efforts" intensified after the school closed to get it into a state deemed to be safe and healthy by the Department of Health. In addition to the cleaning efforts, all rooms are being examined by a specialist, and air ducts inspected. Air scrubbers will be installed in a number of air-conditioned rooms to keep the air quality at a healthy level. She said the building would not be reoccupied until the Ministry of Health certifies that it is safe to do so. The task is being treated as a two stage process, and it is anticipated that the school will reopen at the end of phase one.

"Approximately 30 people are engaged in the work on a fulltime basis, including specialists assisted by CedarBridge Academy staff. This work is complex and involves repeated testing and cleaning. A schedule of regular and frequent ongoing testing and maintenance will be implemented until the end of phase two," said Mrs. Tyrrell.

However, Susan Brinchman, executive director of the Center for School Mold Help in California, said the school appeared to have been badly neglected since it was built.

"The building sounds so seriously damaged by moisture, and the maintenance so extremely neglected, that it may actually need to be demolished and rebuilt. Mould and moisture cannot always be corrected," she told

She added: "Some kind of accountability must be in place. Anyone who would neglect a building like this, who allowed it, cannot be imagined to correct the problem in the future."

There was a suggestion in a letter from Texas-based laboratory Microbiology Specialists Inc., which issued a report on CedarBridge in July, that students and staff take part in the clean-up. Mrs. Tyrrell said yesterday that while staff were assisting in the efforts, no students were doing so to her knowledge.

She would not comment on which specialists are involved, although understands that local firm TES Ltd has been contracted to tackle the contamination, along with Bermuda Water Consultants and BAC. Overseas experts are also said to be involved though it is not known if they include Microbiology Specialists Inc., which would not comment when contacted by this newspaper.

Ms Brinchman stressed that those now tackling the mould problem must be properly trained and equipped because they run the risk of disturbing dangerous fungi and unleashing more harmful spores into the school atmosphere.

"It's highly toxic," she said. "It's so toxic it's used in biological warfare. That's why people get sick. It's toxic exposure."

Ms Brinchman, herself a teacher who suffered illness due to a mouldy school atmosphere, was critical of the idea of CedarBridge staff members assisting with the clean-up effort, saying this could endanger them.

She said the situation at CedarBridge had followed a classic pattern of sick teachers being ignored and the mould problem being downplayed.

As revealed in last week, the school management and Ministry of Education have known about the presence of disease-causing mould, fungi and bacteria since the Microbiology report was delivered and complaints from teachers were made as far back as two years ago.

This newspaper also understands that Bermuda Air Conditioning (BAC) carried out tests at the school which uncovered the presence of potentially harmful fungi back in May, after a request from a teacher.

Mrs. Tyrrell and Mrs. Richards declined to answer questions about the involvement of Bermuda Air Conditioning or when the "ongoing" remedial work began. However, they pledged there would be "serious clarification" of the situation after a full investigation and report are completed.

Meanwhile, the old Berkeley Institute building, which was shut earlier this year, is being cleaned and visited by maintenance crews. The aim is to prepare it to for use as a temporary facility if CedarBridge has to remain shut after the forthcoming mid-term break. CedarBridge students will again travel to Paget, Port's and Darrell's islands today and tomorrow for classes and activities. There will be no classes on Thursday and Friday. Full details of the arrangements can be found on the government website at www.gov.bm. Parents and students can contact the Ministry of Education with any queries at CBAmoed.bm. They can also telephone Principal Kalmar Richards at 278-3303 or the Ministry at 278-3304.