Mold infests Ingraham Hall

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Mold infests Ingraham Hall

UW Badger Herald - Madison,WI*

by Keegan

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/10/10/mold_infests_ingraha.php

Campus health officials and building occupants of Ingraham Hall will

address an isolated mold outbreak Wednesday that has displaced some

University of Wisconsin employees from their offices since September.

Several building members, especially those who have had severe

allergic reactions, have criticized the university for its slow

response to the mold. Some people are using the nearby American

Indian Studies Library in the building as a temporary office while

others work off-campus.

" It's really been frustrating, " said Nading, a University of

Wisconsin graduate student and limited-term employee. " The main

problem is lack of organization. "

University health officials first learned about Ingraham's third-

floor mold in the beginning of September. Nading describes the

response as " a little haphazard " because employees have not seen

improvement since the fall semester began.

Nadasdy, director of the American Indian Studies Program, said

his office on the third floor was " pretty much uninhabitable " when

he returned to campus in August. He closed the program's entire

office because he noticed staff members were having negative

reactions to the air quality.

" I don't know what was being done, but the problems weren't being

fixed, " Nadasdy said. " It's definitely reduced our productivity. "

Burdick, of UW's Environment, Health and Safety Department,

said the meeting today with building residents probably should have

happened last week.

" We really needed to talk to those folks, " Burdick said. " There

wasn't a really solid schedule about the timing of what's going to

happen and when it's happening. "

Burdick said a private cleaning company was hired to remove some

mold on carpeting, and the university will know the results of mold

samples today or Thursday. Mold is a routine complaint coming from

older buildings on campus like Ingraham Hall, he added, but there

are usually few health concerns involved.

Some building residents chose to leave their offices because their

reactions to the mold were too uncomfortable. Nading said he

suffered from both headaches and allergic outbreaks after being

exposed to mold pores for 15 minutes. He has not filed an official

complaint with health officials because " I wouldn't like it to come

to that. "

" The reason we're vacating is because we're feeling like we're

getting sick, " Nading said.

Health officials believe the mold is growing in the building from

leaking air conditioners and accumulated condensation, but the exact

source is still under investigation. Burdick said the mold could

have accumulated during some of the August's heavy rainstorms and

high humidity. Mold mainly flourishes in damp and humid environments

like swamps or basements.

Burdick said the university has pinpointed a few problematic areas

on the third floor, but larger structural improvement to Ingraham

Hall would be a long-term consideration.

Statz, a budget and policy analyst with UW Physical Plant,

said any further action to clean the isolated offices will be

determined by the new mold samples. She added it was too early to

comment on building repair and cleaning costs.

Nadasdy hopes the meeting will allow building residents and health

officials to exchange concerns and get everyone on the same page.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in room 340, Ingraham Hall.