PIERCE COLLEGE : Ventilation System Is Aired Out

The ventilation system in the Pierce College library has been cleaned and sanitized after the indoor air quality became a health concern to the library staff.

Head Librarian Florence Robin said she noticed that “people with allergies were having upper-respiratory problems, which may have been related to the air quality in the building.

“People were showing allergy-type symptoms, getting sick and coughing. You really can’t prove anything, but there was an uncommon amount of sickness among the staff and student workers in the library,” she said.

It was the first time that air ducts in the library building, which is about 35 years old, had been cleaned, said Frank Vitone, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technician at the college.

“They found all kind of things like old toolboxes and dead animals in the ducts,” he said.

Robin said that she has been concerned with the air quality since 1988. “I really wanted the place to be safe for students and staff. The air quality has been poor in the library for many years.”

The cleaning was completed last month by Best Industrial Cleaning Inc., a state-licensed company based in South El Monte.

It involved removing the dirt from the air ducts, thus increasing the flow of air, and sanitizing to kill bugs and microbial growths, said Chris Handley, operations manager for the company.

Kent Waters, chief estimator for the company, said that although “Popsicle sticks, toolboxes and dead pigeons” were found in the underground concrete ducting, “that is not unusual for this type of ducting.

“There was no indication that there was any bacteriological problems at all during the cleaning,” Waters said.

Waters said that there was a distinct difference in the amount of air reaching the inside of the library after the cleaning. He also said the temperature was cooler after the system was cleaned.

Robin agreed. “I can definitely notice the difference. The air seems fresher,” she said.