SANTA ANA : School Air Conditioner May Be Causing Illness

Officials have agreed to investigate a complaint that the air-conditioning system at an elementary school is causing students and teachers to feel sick.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Santa Ana Unified School District, a teacher at Wilson Elementary School told the board she believes the air-conditioning system at the school is responsible for respiratory problems.

School officials say complaints surfaced six years ago about debris from the air-conditioning system causing respiratory problems. In response, the air ducts were cleaned for the first time. But no excessive debris was found, nor was any infectious debris, such as dead insects or pollen, said Gaylen Freeman, an assistant superintendent.

Air ducts districtwide are cleaned every six to eight years, and air filters are changed four times a year, officials said.

Freeman said complaints from Wilson Elementary surfaced again in 1994, and workers then took samples of air, but nothing unusual was found.

“I think we’ve done a fair check on that,” Freeman said, “and we’ve done what we could do.”

But at Tuesday’s board meeting, a complaint from teacher Gail Dasno sparked concern among school board members, and Freeman said he will test the air at the school again in coming weeks.

Freeman said that over the years, a number of schools have complained about air conditioning causing sickness, but nothing hazardous has ever been found.