Monday, October 22, 2007 After sparking an analysis of a mold outbreak problem at Ingraham Hall, University of Wisconsin officials are also facing similar problems in other on campus buildings.

The Middleton Building at 1305 Linden Drive has also being reported to be facing mold issues, along with the Red Gym at 716 Langdon St.

“Water has infiltrated to certain areas of Middleton, through the cement type of wall, and some of the moisture got inside some of the wall surfaces,” said Andy Garcia-Rivera, director of the UW Department of Environment, Health and Safety. Some rugs became wet, and mold concerns arose, he added.

The Middleton building houses the McBurney Disability Resource Center and the PEOPLE program, as well as the Academic Advancement Program.

“If you look at Middleton, it’s a very unusual looking building,” Garcia-Rivera said. “It’s a masonry building, and there was some infiltration through some of the window areas.”

The Red Gym has been reported with mold on its third-floor windows, which have been temporarily replaced by storm windows, Garcia-Rivera said.

In an e-mail to The Badger Herald, UW graduate student Alex Nading, who had an office at Ingraham, said mold “isn’t really the problem right now.”

“People are still feeling sick after working in the building, and now complaints are surfacing about the quality of the water,” Nading said.

Garcia-Rivera said the responsible departments are currently in the process of following up with occupants of both Ingraham and Middleton, and health agencies are being contacted when necessary.

“It depends. In some cases, you can have a building that has a leak but nothing could happen,” Garcia-Rivera said. “My wife works in Middleton too, and she’s doing fine.”

However, there are still some staff members experiencing illnesses, he said.

“One of the occupants wasn’t feeling very well. We went in there, took a look at the situation, looked at our procedures and made recommendations,” Garcia-Rivera said. “We’re working again with the physical plant staff and were able to address the situation, though there’s still work to be done.”

No severe health problems have been reported at the Red Gym.

According to Nading, there will be a meeting regarding the mold problem this Thursday at 1 p.m. in 340 Ingraham Hall.

http://badgerherald.com/news/2007/10/22/mold_hits_2_more_cam.php
 
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