Mold may have brought medical miracles with the creation of penicillin in 1938, but now it is bringing sickness to University students as it infects homes throughout Eugene.
Dan Stih, a Healthy Living Spaces LLC certified microbial consultant, said Eugene gets a double whammy when it comes to mold because of the moisture both inside and outside. And while outside mold may not affect people, Stih said students and community members need to be increasingly wary of mold living indoors.
“Technically, all molds produce toxins,” he said.
However, researchers have found that mold is more likely to produce toxins indoors because it has to work harder to survive.
Senior Nick Taylor said he lived in a “moldy apartment” his sophomore year. Although he and his roommate tried to wash off the mold, Taylor said he still felt continuously sick while living in the apartment.
“It was a never-ending cold,” he said.
According to a study done by the New York City Department of Health, mold can commonly cause allergic reactions with symptoms ranging from a runny nose or eye irritation to congestion and coughing.
University Health Center Director Thomas Ryan said about 5 percent of the population is allergic to mold and might experience these symptoms. He added that in more serious cases there may be memory loss, headache or difficulty concentrating, but there is no proven causal link between the symptoms and the mold.
Stih said it is fairly easy for mold to grow indoors, as long as there is moisture in the environment. Places where mold can grow more easily include leaks around a toilet seal, under wet carpet, leaky plumbing in sinks or showers and underneath kitchen sinks.
C. Eric Devin, co-chairman of OSPIRG’s Renters’ Rights Campaign, blames the mold problem on Eugene’s failure to institute a housing code.
“I am outraged that these conditions exist anywhere in Oregon, especially Eugene,” Devin said. “However, Eugene’s lack of a housing code is a major barrier in making sure that housing standards are upheld.”
Until a housing code is implemented, many students will bear the responsibility of removing mold from their residences.
The Environmental Protection Agency Web site suggests people get rid of mold with a cleaning detergent and water mixture. Stih recommended borax and water, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site recommends mixing bleach with water.
The CDC Web site also advises people to keep the humidity level in a house below 50 percent, use an air conditioner or dehumidifier during humid months, use mold inhibitors that can be added to paints and clean bathrooms with mold-killing products.
For those not comfortable with cleaning mold on their own, contractors such as Healthy Living Spaces are available. Contractors will also do initial mold checks, Stih said.
For more information on mold, visit the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov or the EPA Web site at www.epa.gov.