ADAMS TWP — Duct work cleaning and additional testing are recommended after air quality testing was completed earlier this month at Mars Elementary School.

The testing was ordered last month after a musty smell was reported by students and staff at the building. Abatement work was conducted in the penthouse areas of the building, and a first round of testing found mold levels in the building to be lower than those outside, officials said.

Three letters outlining results from testing conducted by Accredited Environmental Technologies were posted to the district’s website Monday. The tests were conducted Oct. 2.

One letter indicates testing for volatile organic compounds in Classroom 126 returned results “significantly below” standards, and classified as normal.

Additional testing for mold spores was conducted in five classrooms, including C126, C128, B105, B113 and B012, where, “slight musty/mold-like odors were noted,” the report states. Samples were also taken from the penthouse area and foyer of the building and compared to two outdoor samples.

“Total mold spore levels in each classroom were significantly below outdoors,” the report states.

A third, visual inspection of those same classrooms found surface moisture staining in one room’s ceiling tiles, as well as a slight amount of dust.

Testing showed that based on an observation of damp insulation within the air handling units, the smell was being found in the classrooms. The firm recommended that duct work be cleaned or replaced. Likewise, damaged tile should be replaced, and relative humidity levels in classrooms should be kept below 60 percent, the report states.

In a letter to parents Monday, Superintendent Wesley Shipley said the district is in the process of scheduling that cleaning, with additional testing to follow.

During last week’s school board meeting Shipley said bids from three companies would need to be secured before that work can begin. On Tuesday, Shipley said he has not received any complaints about the odor since Oct. 2.