BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA -- Air quality concerns at Battery Creek High School this week have spurred an investigation by state health officials.

Representatives from the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the school's air quality Tuesday and Wednesday, said district spokesman John Williams. OSHA workers were responding to a complaint about odors from chemicals being used to alleviate serious mold problems at the school, he said.

Mold was discovered at the school in summer 2001. Since then, the county school board approved a cleaning project for air ducts in the school's heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system and a $2.7 million dehumidification system scheduled for completion by August 2003.

Workers started cleaning the system and sealing air ducts with an encapsulating agent this fall, a move that will kill any mold already in ducts and prevent future growth, said Roger Stevens, environmental manager for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Stevens also investigated the duct-cleaning process after a parent of a student at the school complained, he said. The parent, Cindy Allen, said her daughter is suffering health problems because of the chemicals being used to treat the system.

Allen's daughter is on two medications because of the chemicals and has missed school because of related illnesses, she said, adding that school officials will not listen to her complaints.

"They're not warning parents of anything," Allen said. "We're leaving the safety of our children during the day to these people. I'm aggravated. I've been on the phone with people from the school over and over again and no one will talk to me."

Allen said she spoke to the school nurse, who said more than 10 students had been to the office because of illnesses believed to be related to the chemicals.

Allen is not the only one complaining. The complaint to OSHA was from a school employee, Williams said.

State law prohibits OSHA from releasing complainants' names.

Since talking to school district officials in charge of the mold cleanup, Stevens said workers have started using portable air filters that catch small particles after each duct is worked on. Ventilation also has been improved where possible.

While there may be isolated cases, Stevens said the chemicals generally aren't harmful.

"As long as they properly ventilate, the chemical shouldn't cause any problems," he said. "I think they were doing it the way the manufacturer specified, but because that one person appeared to be hypersensitive, they decided to do extra."

The cleaning is being done after school and on weekends, Williams said, which also cuts down on possible health effects.

"When you use these chemicals, there still are sometimes traces of the cleansers hours after they've actually been applied," he said. "We don't have 1,500 students in the building while these people are going around in the ductwork spraying chemicals."

The district is concerned about safety, Williams said.