Talking Stick - May/June 2019 - 34

SPECIAL FOCUS

The Hold of Mold

The more things change, the more mold
stays the same.
by Jennifer Todden

old has been a part of the human experience for thousands of years, even
well before science was able to identify it. A possible reference to mold and
its removal exists in the Old Testament, and mold has been used in cheese
making since at least the seventh century. More recently, mold has contributed to
public health via the discovery, production, and widespread distribution of penicillin.
Recent news about mold has been less positive, however, particularly on
college campuses. In the past 12 months, at least three major universities have
made the decision to relocate students due to the prevalence of mold in at least
one residence hall - and they are hardly the first campuses to have to do so over
the past several years. A variety of factors could be responsible for the prevalence
of mold in the news. While certainly not the only considerations, four of the most
important seem to be elements of change: changes in how mold and air quality is
researched, in campus construction, in climate and weather patterns, and in ways
of communicating with students, staff, and parents.
First, a substantially greater understanding of indoor air quality and its broad
effects has increased the urgency for attention to mold issues. In an article about
how indoor environmental quality affects health and productivity, William J. Fisk
describes a phenomenon known as Sick Building Syndrome, when occupants of a
building experience general non-specific health-related symptoms that seem to be
connected to the time spent in the building, resulting in a statistically significant
decrease in worker performance.
Fisk has also studied the other side of the situation: how improving the indoor
air quality can positively impact health and productivity. Poor air quality can cause a
multitude of health problems. As he notes, the results of one study that focused on
military barracks revealed that "clinically-confirmed rates of acute respiratory illness

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with fever were 50% higher among
recruits housed in newer barracks with
closed windows, low rates of outside air
supply, and extensive air recirculation
compared with recruits in older barracks with frequently open windows,
more outside air, and less recirculation." Such conditions can be alleviated
by two major modifications: reducing
moisture and increasing ventilation.
Often, when students and parents are
concerned about mold being present
in a room, one of the things that drives
them to action is the persistence of
some sort of respiratory issue; though
mold can be a contributing factor, it is
but one part of a larger problem involving air quality and circulation.
New construction trends on college
and university campuses have contributed to the changing environments
of campus buildings. Older residence
halls were built before the popularization of air conditioning and thus were
designed in a way to maximize outdoor
airflow. Warmer temperatures and
resident preferences have driven many
colleges to retrofit older residence halls
with air conditioning, but this is not
always executed in a way that effectively removes humidity. Chad Doering,
director of housing facilities at the
University of Florida in Gainesville,
says this can be very common in residence halls constructed in mid-century.
"Simply replacing the windows and installing window air conditioning units
does not address building pressurization and ventilation requirements, as is
recommended by best design practices
outlined by the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)." Resident comfort can also become a major
issue, as "through-the-wall air conditioning units do not provide the correct
levels of dehumidification nor high

Talking Stick - May/June 2019

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