Mold in college dorms and other buildings continues to pose health risks for students and others on campus, with 47 infestations found just in Texas since 2018, according to a report by CBSDFW.com.
In each of those cases, mold was found to have spread more than 25 feet, requiring remediation and reporting to state authorities, CBS DFW said.
Texas A&M housing director Dan Mizer told the station that there’s been an increase in mold cases at colleges in recent years and that dorms are particularly susceptible because of old and complicated air conditioning systems and because students often don’t notice infestations until the mold has spread.
Instances of mold in college buildings is widespread, UB reported last year. At Southern Maine Community College last August, a malfunctioning energy recovery unit failed to dehumidify air that was recirculated into Spring Point Residence Hall, which caused mold to grow in ceiling tiles and insulation. The dorm had to be closed for remediation, and some 300 students were housed in nearby hotels.
Read: Mold forces colleges to relocate students
Keeping the campus community informed is key to a successful mold remediation project. When the University of Maryland had a mold problem last year, it held Q&A sessions and maintained a webpage with frequently asked questions about mold and notifications about the situation. One notification urged professors to give affected students some academic leeway while they relocated to hotels. Other messages kept parents informed about the cleaning.
