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Dealing With Allergies?


kmw

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Hi everyone! First time posting, and I appreciate all of the great info on these forums.

 

I'm wondering if anybody else deals with allergies to the mold in clay. I teach at a small college and spend three afternoons a week in the ceramics studio during class, and then I'm in and out all week for studio maintenance, etc. I take all the appropriate measures to keep dust down, etc. and don't have visible mold growing anywhere, but I know that as clay ages lots of lovely bacteria and molds grow in it. I'm allergic to mold, and Benadryl has typically done a decent job of keeping symptoms to a minimum. This semester I'm teaching more hours of ceramics, and I've noticed my symptoms worsening.

 

Does anyone else deal with this? Are there any tips or tricks I should know about? Obviously, I'm not asking for medical advice, and I'm aware that this is a strange career for someone with this type of allergies. I'm just curious to hear if others have had any success managing this type of issue, and if so, how they did it.

 

 

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Clay can develop mold, but the other and more likely culprits are slop/reclaim buckets and pre-wash buckets/barrels of water.  Adding some bleach on a regular basis helps there.  Also, check for condensation around air conditioning and air purification/circulation units.  Check kiln and spray booth exhaust systems for any potential leaks that might be releasing fumes into the studio area.  One of the worst I've seen are stand alone fans -- dust and other particles cling to the fan blades as air moves through them.  Same for ceiling fans. 

 

I worked out of a community studio for a while; progressively the symptoms became more pronounced and I left; no amount of cleaning could remediate years of neglect or the work habits of fellow studio users or exhaust fumes from kilns vented into the kiln room and not outside.  I now work at home.  Miss the company (at times) but enjoy being able to breath without medication. 

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My guess is the dust is doing it. Do a experiment, talk to the custodian and find out what night he is going to wet mop the studio and ask him to change the water often. At the end of your last afternoon class have the students wash down the table tops. Also the filters in the FAU system (heating and air cond) should be changed at the same time. Now see if there is a difference. Hopefully it will help,    Don't forget to make some coffee mugs for your custodian & maintenance guy!

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Thanks for the tips--I've checked exhaust systems, and don't have a condensation problem. We do have some slop barrels because we use a pug mill to recycle clay, so I'll try the bleach next time I get them empty. Should I try spraying a bleach solution inside the pug mill?

 

I'll also try to find out what the filter change schedule looks like. As far as I can tell, the floors are only cleaned once during the semester and then once between each semester. That's a good idea about making him some mugs, though--he already gets mad at my students if they forget to wipe their feet off before they leave the classroom--he doesn't like vacuuming dust footprints!

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Guest JBaymore

I think the first step here is that you should talk to your primary care physician (hopefully now you have health insurance) and get a referral to an occupational health specialist; they are skilled at figuring out this kind of stuff.... whereas general practitioners are not at all.  An allergist might not have the perspective on the occupational side of the matter....... you might need them to "team up".  You may be making some assumptions about what is aggravating your "allergies" that are incorrect.  First you have to know what is happening with your body for SURE. 

 

Have you had a formal allergy testing series run to know to what you are allergic?

 

For example... metal fume fever has symptoms that mimic flu.  It comes from zinc fume.  Also known as "welder's flu" (welding galvanized metals).  Note that a "fume" is NOT some sort of gas... it is tiny, tiny dust particles.  If you are firing lots of glazes with zinc oxide in them... and the kilns are not vented properly...... it is possible zinc fume is in the studio.  If cleaning is not done well or often enough....... those crazily tiny particles get RE-airborne really easily.

 

If you are employed (covered by OSHA workplace standards) and there are physical plant issues that are creating a bona-fide mold issue there (or some other issue).... then the employer needs to take care of that for not only you but all the employees.

 

Sustained wetness/humidity facilitates mold growth. Look to places that remain damp for long periods.....slop buckets, reclaim areas, damp boxes, and so on.  Repeated applications of bleach are the "standard" layperson approach.  Bleach becomes ineffective with exposure to air over time so treatment has to be refreshed regularly.  However for certain molds...... you have to use nasty commercial crap that is the province of the pros.  If the dampness can be controlled...... then the mold can be controlled.  In some parts of operations....... it would be a losing constant battle.  There it has to be contained and ventilated.

 

best,

 

..................john

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Guest JBaymore

Wow... just saw the "floors only cleaned once" comment as I was typing.  The heck with mold....... you want to look into airborne SILICA monitoring!  Walking on dirty floors is a HUGE issue for getting a LOT of stuff airborne.  Silica dust is nothing to fool with.

 

best,

 

..............john

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Guest JBaymore

Does the guy using the vacuum use a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner in the areas near the ceramics studio? Or IN the ceramics studio?  If it is not .... then you probably have a REAL issue with airborne silica for about 24-36 hours after he/she does that cleaning work.  The particles that are the issue are not the ones you can see... they are too small to be seen in the air. 

 

best,

 

...............john

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Guest JBaymore

Bleach goes right into the water in the slop buckets while they have slop in them.  And is refreshed almost daily.  If you can't smell it slightly... it needs adding again.

 

best,

 

..............john

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Wow... just saw the "floors only cleaned once" comment as I was typing.  The heck with mold....... you want to look into airborne SILICA monitoring!  Walking on dirty floors is a HUGE issue for getting a LOT of stuff airborne.  Silica dust is nothing to fool with.

 

best,

 

..............john

I know; it's something I'm working on. Tackling this long-ignored studio has been a HUGE project that I started over a year ago when I was only an adjunct. There are delicate workplace politics involved and I'm doing what I can to navigate the system while effecting change as quickly as possible for the health and safety of other employees and students.

 

The vacuum is HEPA filtered. I do have health insurance but have never been tested formally for allergies. When I was a student, I remember our grad studio started having serious mold issues and I developed allergy symptoms. When I complained enough to get it removed, the allergy symptoms subsided. Same for being in houses with mold. But you're correct--I shouldn't assume and should see someone. I truly appreciate your advice.

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The only issue I've had with mold, in my classroom, is on the bagged clay I get, and on the wood tools.  I have students wash and dry the tools, at the end of each term.  Those sets that aren't dried well, grow mold fast.  Giving them a dunk or spray of bleach water, will no doubt solve that issue.

 

Other than that, I don't have mold in my classroom... Other than where water has gotten in from the outside.  But that has nothing to do with my practices.

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having a filter and having a CLEAN filter are two different things.  vacuum filters must be changed frequently.

 

i knew a potter who had a big hepa air cleaner on the ceiling of her studio but it did not seem to work.  when i asked about it she said she had never looked at it after it was installed several years before. :blink:

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Realize that what they think is a normal filter change schedule is not adequate for a ceramic studio and make them realize that mopping the floor there is not for cosmetic reasons! When the floor gets dust mopped (once a week?) alot of the bad stuff just goes in the air! Tell the custodian to wear a dust mask and why and maybe he'll realize it is an important issue.    

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Guest JBaymore

you could always be a real pain to everyone and put a copy of whatever government regulations apply on the desk of someone who would see to it that the studio is cleaned properly.

 

Anonymously, of course.  ;)

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you could always be a real pain to everyone and put a copy of whatever government regulations apply on the desk of someone who would see to it that the studio is cleaned properly.

 

Anonymously, of course.  ;)

 

 

Just be mindful of the consequences of such acts . . . like the school closing the studio/program as it lacks the $$$ to bring it up to code and realizes their liabilities for operating at non-compliance until then.  Institutions are risk averse to the nth degree.

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you could always be a real pain to everyone and put a copy of whatever government regulations apply on the desk of someone who would see to it that the studio is cleaned properly.

 

Anonymously, of course.  ;)

 

 

Just be mindful of the consequences of such acts . . . like the school closing the studio/program as it lacks the $$$ to bring it up to code and realizes their liabilities for operating at non-compliance until then.  Institutions are risk averse to the nth degree.

 

That's why I'm referring to it as a delicate situation. :)

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Hi, as a fellow teacher in a school setting I totally get it. First I'll address the allergy situation, I agree with other members postings that it can definitely be a dust issue. I suppose you would have to get further testing to be sure. I do not have a dust allergy but I am sensitive to it and it surfaces in sinus problems with me. I use the netty pot often, open windows as much as I can, and have an air filter. That all seems to help out.

 

Secondly, they NEED to be mopping the floor a few times a week, not once a semester. I have run into similar issues with not having full support of the custodial staff or school in truly understanding (or caring) that it IS a heath hazard to not mop the floor frequently. I also get not making too many waves or they can cut the program. With that said, here are my thoughts. I personally have taken it upon myself to clean floors, do extra surface wipe downs, and enroll interns into my classroom simply just for the jobs of studio cleaning and maintenance. It can be a daunting job, and its not "right" that you should have to do it now and then but I say to myself my heath comes first. I came into a HS classroom 10 years ago that was a mess both dusty and non-functional. The kiln was not enclosed, tables had noticeable splinters, sinks were on their last leg...you name it. I found that with some patience, and asking for things just one at a time, the school was supportive, and now I have almost everything new, up, and running beautifully. A few coffee gift cards and a nice card to the custodians went a long way with the cleaning issues as well. haha

 

Hope this helps!

~Dianna

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i hope you understand that i know that leaving the regs on a desk is the last straw.

 

i am aware of a wonderful place that was perfectly ok, well run, clean and efficient.  somebody, named X, who wanted the job of running the place would come in carrying a very noticable large binder with a very prominent label "OSHA regulations for pottery studios".  X wandered around wiping a finger across a tabletop and shaking a head occasionally while other people were there to see. though no action was taken, the threat of endless investigation by officials made the person in charge (who was close to retirement) just quit. the whole place regretted that retirement and needless to say, X never got the job and never will. 

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Dianna,

 

You are spot on.  Asking the school for things bit by bit, is an effective approach.  For whatever reason, they never seem to tally everything up...  They actually prefer it, when I don't do all my ordering at once.  The Principal tells me "Just order what you need for the first half the year..."  I don't know if they are doing that to help me, by remaining blissfully ignorant, on how much I actually spend, but it works.

 

John, as always, you are also right on the money.  Not only do the custodians have no idea, what they are into, but at my school they are understaffed.  While they are supposed to have consistent room assignments, it seems to change.  And the Art Room isn't usually a priority, because it does take more time than others to clean.  And this is with myself, and my students, doing everyday cleaning.  

A couple things I have learned, since starting teaching.  A.  Don't make waves with custodial staff.  They put up with my relatively messy room, and get me the supplies I need.  B.  Much of the cleaning and maintenance we will have to do on our own.  I.E.  in other districts the custodians would clean my sink trap.  Currently, I have to clean it myself, otherwise it would never get done.  This may seem a little pessimistic, but my kiln vent hood got dusty by the end of last year.  Students joked, by writing things on it with their fingers.  I just left it there, because I figured the custodians would clean it, over the summer.  Nope.  Still there start of the school year.

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I agree, it does definitely work best to ask for things bit by bit--there's a long history here that I prefer not to discuss in detail, but I would like to say that things have been improving. While students and others may not always understand my safety policies and desire to have things organized and clean, I know that things are running more smoothly. (Heck, due to my "strict" policies, no one's hair or clothing has caught on fire since I started teaching here. That knowledge helps me ignore all the protests that the previous instructor let students do "so much more." :rolleyes:)   Like I said earlier, this studio was a huge undertaking. I can't even begin to go into the complicated (and dramatic) relationship between my department and our custodial/maintenance departments, but things are getting better.

 

I hope it does not sound like I'm not aware of this problematic situation, and I can assure everyone that things have changed dramatically within just a few semesters.

 

I do almost all of the cleaning myself, with the very occasional help of a work study student, and I can say that of the four ceramics studios I've worked in throughout my education, mine has the least visible dried clay and dust. Unfortunately, I'm so busy--my job requires a lot of recruitment activities, extra workshops, professional development, and the organizing and running of the school gallery. I teach four other studio courses (none of them ceramic related) and a lecture course, with the prospect of adding a printmaking studio in the near future, so it becomes frustrating that I spend nearly all my non-teaching time on my studio class that has the fewest students. However, I keep reminding myself that it's also the one with the most health hazards for employees and students, and it's arguably the one that students find most rewarding, so I try not to get discouraged.  I'm going to look into the filter schedule this week, and either diplomatically request that either: more frequent mopping happens or I'm given my own mopping equipment. John, I've been vocal about the hazards, and I will obviously keep trying.

 

I hope this doesn't sound defensive--you're all being super helpful and I appreciate it so much! It's encouraging to hear that others 'inherited' studios with so much...potential....and have turned things around for the better. :)

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i am not a teacher and never have been so i do not know what is required.  is teaching the hazards a part of each class?  are MSDS sheets available to just give students an idea they are not in kindergarten anymore?  are discussions about only what is produced or what goes into it?  i have been in studios where the dust was almost ankle deep. had come to potentially rent space!  left there immediately.  others where the potter took pride in the pile of dried trimmings on the floor around the big kickwheel. :wacko:

 

 best tool is a wood handled mop and squeeze bucket with step on wooden rollers.  and a 3 foot wide school janitor type dustmop with a Rubbermaid professional dust catching spray on it.  both it and the mop are WHITE and they go into the washing machine if they are not. my studio may not be always squared away but it is clean.

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