St. Augustine's Students Complain of Mold Growth in Campus Buildings
St. Augustine's University students have been complaining about a mold problem in dormitories, and some concerned parents and grandparents sent photos to CBS 17 of the microbial growth in students' dorm rooms. University Vice President of Student Services Keith Smith said the school is aware and working on issues as they arise. Several remediation experts told CBS 17 that there's no way to know whether it is mold or mildew without testing it. "We call in a third-party testing agency to come in (to) take swabs and air samples," says Adam Rosenzweig of C.A.R.E. Services. "They bring it back to the lab and tell us what it is, what kind of microbial growth it is, and if its mold." The lab will then outline the cleaning protocols remediation experts need to take. Dealing with microbial growth like mold or mildew requires high-powered cleaning chemical materials, special respirators to protect one's lungs, and sealed suits to keep the spores off clothing. He says the most important thing is not to aerosolize the growth because it's made up of spores that can travel everywhere as well as get into your lungs. "You can't kill mold," Rosenzweig says, but you can "stunt its growth, treat it, and seal it in so it won't grow any further."