University of Massachusetts combats mold at Dartmouth campus

DARTMOUTH, MA — Mold growth, attributed to an unusually wet spring and summer, was discovered inside two residential complexes at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth two weeks before the start of the fall 2009 semester, according to the Herald News.

Mold discovered inside the Cedar Dell townhouses and the Woodlands Community apartments was "very aggressively" cleaned and most of the fungus was completely remediated by the time students moved in, the story stated.

According to the story, the majority of the mold growth was in first-floor units and only a handful of students were temporarily displaced.

Mold, which a university spokesperson said was "very superficial" and not found in areas where it would cause long-term or serious damage, was discovered on some floors, walls and ceilings, and in some units, carpets were replaced with tiles, the story noted.

David Ferguson, the university's facilities director, said: "The rooms were all extremely cold, but the hallways were considerably warmer. You could actually see water running down the metal door jambs. There was an incredible amount of moisture in some of those rooms, which is what caused the problem."

The situation has caused the university to take a hard look at their ventilation systems and consider changing practices, including opening windows over the summer, to avoid similar incidents in the future, the story added.