The cause of continued teacher illness at CedarBridge Academy has still not been pinpointed despite an “incredible number” of experts tackling the problem, Education Minister Randy Horton admitted yesterday.

He told a press conference that the Government and the school were “going through all the routes that are necessary” to find out why staff are still falling sick despite a clean-up of mould infestation costing almost $4 million.

The Minister said it was regrettable that some people were still feeling unwell on the Devonshire campus but added: “In every one of these cases, the air quality in the room or area in which the person worked has been tested to make sure that there are no concentrations of mould.

“To date, all reports have shown that the air quality in the tested areas is normal and that there is nothing which should cause a health concern. Just to be clear, many of these areas have been tested and even re-tested, just to make sure that nothing was missed.”

He revealed that a “sophisticated” test known as a TO-15 carried out over the Easter weekend to check for the presence of chemicals came back negative.

“The TO-15 test revealed that there were no, and let me repeat that, no abnormal levels for any contaminants in air quality samples taken at CedarBridge Academy,” he said. “There is no evidence of contaminants that should pose a health risk. And let me confirm once again, that all tests conducted for mould after the cleanup at the end of 2006 have shown that the building is safe for occupancy.”

Additional testing for electro-magnetic frequency and radio frequency had shown up only low levels, he added. “These tests are preliminary and the Ministry is in process of engaging external consultants to conduct their own independent tests in the next two weeks.”

Mr. Horton said: “I am confident that the results of the latest testing will go some way to easing the fears of teachers, staff and students. Even so, I have to be realistic and accept that some persons will still be uncomfortable. We will continue to do all that we can to bring comfort to the staff and students.”

He would not answer directly a question about whether the independent report into how the mould crisis was dealt with would be made public in full. “You will get the information that you need in time,” he said, several times. Mr. Horton said measures to prevent future mould problems included: ensuring a watertight roof, digging a trench and re-paving balconies so water flows away from the building and regular maintenance of the air conditioning system.

Mike Charles, general secretary of Bermuda Union of Teachers, told The Royal Gazette he had been told that another staff member was taken sick last week.

“We have done all the testing and all the tests are coming back with normal levels and teachers are still falling ill,” he said. “It is puzzling.” He urged teachers to report any feelings of illness, even if they chose to stay in school and work.

“There has got to be more documentation about the conditions of the teachers as they are in school,” he said.

Dr. John Cann, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, agreed. He said that Government was working methodically and scientifically to determine the cause and that a system being set up to ensure teachers felt comfortable reporting their symptoms should help to reassure them that everything possible was being done.

“It’s not enough to know who is out sick,” he said. “We need to know who is feeling anything a little bit out of the ordinary for them.”

Teacher illness mystery