Eastern Progress 1980-1981 Eastern Progress 4-23-1981 Eastern Kentucky University
Vol, Ne
1981
unpublished
Zzzzzzzzzzz Kevin Payne, from Louisville, teems to find more comfort on the window sill in the Wallace Building than in his own bed or. Periscope-more than likely, class. Perhaps something, or someone, has caught his attention from down below. By ROBIN PATER Editor Following an investigative study conducted by the Division of Public' Safety, a report completed recently concluded that "misapplication of the reheat system was the initial cause of the mold problems" in the Wallace Building. The
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... estigation of the academic building was initiated by Larry West brook, assistant director of the Division of Public Safety, following complaints and secondhand reports his office received from faculty who said that they found mold growing on their bookshelves. Air samples were taken in 30-minute intervals for exposure as a part of the study, resulting in the findings of penicillin, aspergillus and yeast spores, which West brook said are common in the air in this part of the country. However, the study pointed out that of the random rooms, which had samples taken in Wallace, one "seems to be the heaviest in mycotic contamination ," and noted that the areas around the window were highest in penicillin and aspergillus. Westbrook added that if someone would come in contact with "a good dose of it" (aspergillus and pencillin) and happened to be allergic to it. one might suffer upper respiratory problems. Another room sampled was said to contain "normal types of contamination ." The study added, however, that when the samples wer-taken, the air circulation was not on and therefore, those results may not be accurate. The study's recommendations state that proper air filtration should occur in the building, that a seal be placed around the windows and that the air coming into the building should be tempered so that an environment for mold growth is not created. The study showed that currently the air filters are not being changed on a regular basis. Westbrook indicated that when the building's reheating system is running this fall as it was originally designed for, the problems should be eliminated. "We hope we've licked the problem" Westbrook remarked. He explained that the high content of bacterial growth found in Wallace was the result of misuse of the building's reheating-system, which Westbrook added is very inefficient in terms of energy conservation Former President Jimmy Carter's energy conservation guidelines had forced the University to make changes in some or the buildings' heating and cooling systems. Therefore, the reheating part of Wallace's system was shut off last summer so that just the cooling part was in use. Westbrook explained that this caused higher humidity and heat levels in the building, providing "a perfect environment for spores." Since the new Keagan administration does not require public buildings to meet the former federal guidelines, the system can once again be run at full use. Westbrook said that his office wHI keep a close look on the Wallace Building to see if the problems are corrected in the fall berauav ol proper use of the reheat ing system Steve Mellon sounds off about the sexual harassment he has had to endure by the women editors at the Progress. See his column on
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