Mold problems festering at UH
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
The University of Hawai'i has ongoing problems with mold, said Roy Takekawa, director of the Environmental Health and Safety Office at UH, but none have been serious enough to warrant closure of any buildings, as Hilton Hawaiian Village management did with its Kalia Tower.
Recently there were complaints that mold was growing on walls in the School of Nursing in Webster Hall, Takekawa said. The problem was referred to the custodial staff who have since cleaned it, protecting themselves with masks and gloves.
"For us to close a facility or a room even, it would have to pass the president's 'common sense' test," he said. "You'd have to go in there and say 'Whoa, this is bad.'
"We are a tropical climate," said Takekawa. "We have plenty of spores outside."
Whenever there's a complaint, Takekawa said, his staff investigates, but inquiries are hampered by a lack of clear federal standards.
"There is a method to sample for airborne spores and mold — we've done it — but there's no OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards for airborne molds," he said. "If you're working with chemicals or asbestos I can take a sample and see how much is in the air, but that's not the case with mold because it's so variable."
Generally, he said, his staff compares samples of air inside with air outside.
"The outside was always more," he said.
But he also believes that any problem with mold comes through direct contact. "It's the same thing if there's mold at your house. If you touched it and disturbed it ... you'd have some reaction, especially if you're sensitive."
Takekawa said Bruce Anderson, state health director, offered the same advice he'd give — to clean it with bleach or Lysol.
The lack of standards complicates other complaints his office has received that people are getting sick in certain buildings, or having respiratory or eye irritation problems. His office just finished investigating similar complaints from people in the astronomy building.
"We didn't find anything," he said.
Takekawa thinks the problem arose in Webster Hall on the Manoa campus in the wake of problems with the central air-conditioning system that was installed in that building a couple of years ago, and tends to run at a very chilly level.
"They've got on-going problems in that building with air-conditioning since the renovation," Takekawa said. This same scenario can create problems in any building, he said.
"When it's real cold, people will open the windows and the warmer air will cause condensation. So you get moisture on wall surfaces and furniture, especially in rooms that aren't used all the time."
A number of years ago, books on every floor of Hamilton Library were also plagued by mold. The books were cleaned up, he said, although any area that has been attacked by mold is prone to a recurrence.
"From our experience, once you have it there ... you're going to have the problem."
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
