Government yesterday declined to say exactly when it was first made aware of the mould problem that has forced the shutdown of CedarBridge Academy.

But, as calls for answers grew among teachers, parents and students, it confirmed that a full internal review would be launched into how the situation was handled.

Education Minister Randy Horton also apologised to teachers and pupils using the school on Wednesday night, many of whom were told about the closure by a reporter.

Disruption to pupils must be minimised, he added, and a contingency plan is being drawn up in case clean-up work is not completed as planned by the end of the half-term break.

Problems with mould infestation at CedarBridge date back at least two years.

But despite repeated attempts from reporters asking when the problem was first raised by worried teachers, officials yesterday gave little specific information.

Asked when it was brought to his attention, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said health and education officials had been working on this situation ?for a while?.

Pressed on specifics, he said that work had been going on at the school for at least three months. Asked if an expert brought in by a contractor had concluded three months ago that the school should be shut down because of mould, he told a Cabinet press conference he was not aware of this.

Teachers complaining of illness have blamed mould in the building, and there are reports that aspergillus mould could be responsible.

It was not confirmed yesterday whether this was the case.

The Minister said he made the closure decision so that ?a comprehensive investigation... can proceed expeditiously?.

He added it was too early to say if environmental factors contributed to people falling ill at the school, but said that ?care and caution? had to be exercised.

Minister Horton, pressed on when Government was made aware, said he was not sure.

?I just got here,? he added, referring to his appointment on Monday as Education Minister by new Premier Ewart Brown.

Quizzed on whether he had spoken to his immediate predecessors at the Ministry, Neletha Butterfield and Terry Lister, Minister Horton said he had not had time.

When Dr. Cann was asked if those two former Ministers had raised the issue with him, reporters were told this was an ?unfair question to ask any civil servant?.

The Minister stated that a review would be launched, as overseas consultants started work on cleaning the school. ?I?m going to review and check all the steps that have been taken in terms of us being in this position that we are. When we do the internal review will find those questions.?

Asked why the school was closed on Wednesday night, when reports of safety concerns at CedarBridge have been rumbling for at least two years, Mr. Horton said: ?As soon as I found out about the situation then I dealt with it.?

He said his decision had nothing to do with reports of potential legal action from sick teachers appearing on television news, and said the issue had been discussed before that was aired.

Mr. Horton admitted that not telling people using the building on Wednesday night was an ?oversight?.

CedarBridge will be the first to hear of any future updates in future, he said, then the general public.

Mr. Horton said people may ask if the CedarBridge saga had been handled appropriately, adding: ?I will be asking for a comprehensive review of the management of these issues.

?This will be an internal review aimed at establishing what lessons could be learnt and how we can prevent this situation in future.?

He said he shared concerns of parents who were asking why action was not taken sooner.

?As Minister responsible I will be reviewing all the processes that have led to this situation.?

At least two teachers are reportedly considering legal action, however, Mr. Horton said he did not know how many teachers had fallen ill.

He said he was not aware of any students affected, and did not know how many staff were may be taking legal action.

The clean-up process had started before Wednesday?s closure. Officials confirmed that 20 rooms were investigated and five of them were closed in the ?past few weeks?.

Dr. Cann said he could not say definitively whether or not other schools on the Island had the same problem, but assured parents that they would be checked.

?That will be a process that will take time. We have to deal with the immediate situation.?

He said that mould can spread in moist, damp places and where there is air conditioning.

?We have to be sure where this is. We have to be sure that we deal with it appropriately in terms of removing the mould, and then finally and perhaps most critically we have to make sure that the environment is no longer conducive or we minimise it.?

Pointing to the high humidity in Bermuda and stating that mould was common in such conditions, Dr. Cann added: ?We can mitigate and we can control.

?I would be foolhardy to suggest that we can give 100 per cent guarantee that we will never have a problem again in another facility.?

He stressed that only about five per cent of the population might get hayfever-like symptoms from the mould, with healthy individuals not affected unless they are exposed for long periods.

A much smaller percentage of that total may suffer more serious consequences like infections.

But he said this was rare and urged people to keep the problem in perspective.

Kevin Monkman, permanent secretary for Health, said the priority now was not to assign blame and pour over the past.

He said that at this stage Government was not ?looking backwards to see who did what (and) when and who knew what (and) when? but looking to ensure the problem is fixed and does not happen again.

The press conference was also attended by Health Minister Nelson Bascome, Education permanent secretary Rosemary Tyrrell, CedarBridge head Kalmar Richards, teaching union leader Lisa Trott and a host of civil servants.

Mr. Horton stressed the response was cross-departmental.

He admitted the closure decision might be an overreaction, but said it was taken in the best interests of the ?CedarBridge family?.

?No expense will be spared in ensuring that the school facilities receive a clean bill of health,? he stated.

Disruption to pupils must be minimised, confirmed the Minister.

A contingency plan was being worked on if clean-up work is not completed by the time the half-term break ends.

Principal Kalmar Richards is due to meet with staff today to discuss the impact of any lost teaching time.

Officials have been told to draw up alternative programmes to be actioned ?for as long as necessary?.