Toxic Black Mold News Stories

Housing's war on mold continues

By Leslie King
Contributing Writer
September 29, 2003

Student housing units Delta one, two, three and four are being treated for mold and mildew problems.

Mold and mildew come from moisture resulting from humidity. The South is more prone to this problem because it is near water. Mold and mildew are at peak growth during the summer.

Dr. Dale Adams, vice president of student affairs, said, "mold and mildew in Mobile is synonymous."

The type of mold that has been found is unidentified. However, mold can cause some health problems. According to information furnished by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rash (dermatitis). Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold.

In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Symptoms other than the allergic and irritant types are not commonly reported as a result of inhaling mold.

Some students are trying to cope with the mold and mildew while others have had bad experiences.

Tujuana McGee stayed in Delta three and had a bad experience with mildew. Her room had mildew on top of the door, running down the walls and ceiling, as well as on the bathroom walls.

"I feel that something should been done about it, because I spent three days trying to clean the mildew off the walls and all of it still didn't come off. I had to end up changing rooms. I think it's ridiculous that we pay quite a bit in room tuition and nothing gets done about it," she said.

In most rooms, mold and mildew is most likely to be found on the corners of the ceilings and in the bathroom area.

Fortunately, steps are being taken to solve this issue. An outside contractor has helped to get the situation under control in Delta one and two by installing dehumidifiers. Due to moisture found in individual rooms and not in the building, individual dehumidifiers have been installed. Some buildings have dehumidifiers installed within them.

Although all the rooms were built around the same time, there is no reason why one room has mildew and the other room next door doesn't have any at all, Adams said. Delta three and four are in the process of getting dehumidifiers.

Joe Green, director of housing, said studies are being conducted using dehumidifiers to figure out how much moisture is coming into the rooms. Dehumidifiers not only collect moisture, but they measure it as well.

Green said the mold and mildew problem is not uncommon. "Mold and mildew is an issue for everyone in the housing business. Every journal that I pick up to read concerning housing has this problem listed in it," he said.

There are some procedures students can take to help prevent mold and mildew. It is best to keep the windows and doors closed, especially on days when the humidity is high. Open doors and windows allow excess moisture to enter.

The air conditioner should also always be on. When taking a shower, it is best to close the bathroom door and turn on the exhaust fan. Some rooms have these fans in the light switch, while other rooms have them on a separate switch.

Green said right now there haven't been any specific complaints and that this is an ongoing problem that they are trying to deal with on a daily basis.

Both Green and Adams are optimistic about the future concerning this problem. "Seems like we have it under control now. We have spent a lot of money to get the situation under control," Adams said.
 

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