Re: 'Common' Mold Discovered in Two Duke Residence Halls

[Guest guest]

- thanks kc, good find, wonder if someone was coplaining or are they

just on the ball and know that its wize to deal with it sooner than

later.-- In , " tigerpaw2c "

<tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

>

> 'Common' Mold Discovered in Two Duke Residence Halls

>

> A Duke official said the mold does not present any serious health

> risks to students

>

> Thursday, August 31, 2006

>

> http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2006/08/mold.html

>

> Durham, N.C. -- Duke University officials have discovered a common

> form of mold in two residence halls on West Campus and will begin

> treating it next week.

>

> A Duke official said the mold does not present any serious health

> risks to students.

>

> " These molds are considered allergens and could cause allergic

> reactions in some people, " said Eddie Hull, dean of residence life

> and executive director of housing services. " But the `black mold'

> that we hear about as a real problem is not present. "

>

> Hull sent an email this week to students in and Decker

> towers, in the Edens Quadrangle, informing them that a common form

> of mold had been found in a number of locations, including some

> student rooms, common areas and a mechanical room where air

handlers

> push cool air to rooms.

>

> Hull said Duke's Occupational and Environmental Safety Office

(OESO)

> was contacted immediately, and OESO inspectors collected air and

> surface samples inside and outside the two buildings. The test

> results determined that the mold inside the buildings " is well

> within generally accepted standards of care, " Hull's email noted.

>

> " The standard is a presence of mold inside a building will not

> exceed 50 percent of the presence of the same mold outside the

> building. In our case, the ratio is less than 20 percent and, in

> many cases, much less than that, " Hull's note said.

>

> " … The bottom line is that we do not have a serious problem. While

> this is good news, we don't want the mold situation to persist

> either, and are taking positive, proactive measures to eradicate

> it. "

>

> These steps, which will begin next week, include:

>

> -- treating all rooms and common areas in the two buildings,

> including student rooms;

>

> -- inspecting and treating air handlers;

>

> -- retesting after this work is completed.

>

> Students will not be displaced from their rooms. " If any additional

> work is needed, we will do it, " Hull said in his note.

>

> As an additional precaution, Duke officials are testing the other

> buildings in Edens Quadrangle, even though there is no indication

of

> mold there.

>

> OESO director Wayne Thomann said the air sampling findings " do not

> indicate a significant or unique exposure condition to the

> students. " He added that OESO began working immediately with Duke

> housing officials " to characterize the conditions and to develop a

> rapid response plan to address this issue. "

>

> Hull noted there are several types of mold, all common in this

area,

> that tend to grow on cool, moist, painted surfaces. He wrote to the

> students living in the two residence halls he is sorry they will be

> inconvenienced, but officials wanted to address the situation

> immediately and " head-on. "

>

> For more information, contact: Lawrence, Office of News &

> Communications | (919) 681-8059 | keith.lawrence@...

>

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