Thursday, February 2, 2012

GBVS receives upgrades during winter break

Students living in the apartments of Golden Bear Village South were welcomed back to the spring semester with new air filtration units. The temporary upgrades were installed during the winter break as a result of mold growth and water incursion from the September 2011 Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Upon discovery of these issues, the University Housing office relocated the students in the affected units and closed them for the remainder of the semester. To not affect additional students living in the apartments, the High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) cleaning units could not be installed until the previous Fall semester ended.

The HEPA filtration units were funded and provided by the KU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (KUF), who are owners of the Golden Bear Village South complex. The units,A mold or molds is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic, which were installed in either the coat closets or mechanical closets of 75 apartments, remove particles greater than 0.3 micrometer that pass through the air and provide better than 99 percent clean air.

The state-of-the-art control technology filters also trap small particles that may cause problems for allergy sufferers and others with health problems. In addition, the HEPA air-cleaning units will be monitored frequently throughout the semester to ensure safety and preserve the air quality.

Repairs were also made in apartments that had been damaged by ordinary leaks and bathroom moisture issues; no further maintenance is needed for those locations.

“The HEPA air filtration units were chosen because they are very effective in improving air quality – these same units are used by hospitals – and they could be installed as a temporary measure during the limited time period between the end of the Fall semester and beginning of the Spring semester,” stated Gerald Silberman, KU Vice President for Administration and Finance, in an email interview.

KUF also considered the solution of making modifications to the building structure, but determined that the HEPA air filtration unit solution was a better choice due to time constraints, according to Silberman.

Despite the recent repairs, mold spores – which are the result of the reproduction of mold – still exist throughout the Golden Bear Village South complex and will not be renovated until summer 2012.

“The HEPA filtration units are a temporary solution intended to correct air quality in the affected units for the spring semester,” stated Silberman. “A permanent solution, likely involving modifications to the physical structure of all of the apartment buildings, is being developed by engineering professionals.”

According to an email sent by Kent Dahlquist, Director of Residential Life and Dining Services, “fewer than 10 samples out of 228 units showed mold levels that were slightly above what is considered ‘normal’ background mold concentrations.”

Although contractors do not suggest that mold spores are present in the indoor air of the apartments,A Coated Abrasives is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives. it is imperative to know that mold always exist in the natural environment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, there are about tens of thousands to perhaps 300,000 species of fungi that can be found both indoors and outdoors.

The CDC website states that the four most common indoor molds,As a professional manufacturer of China ceramic tile, which grow as a result from warm, damp and humid conditions, are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria and Aspergillus.

“Even if [Housing and Residential Services] found one type of mold, there are probably other types that exist in [the apartments] or in other places on campus,” stated Bill Lendzinski, Assistant Director of Clinical Services. “We live and work in a rural area, and the part of Berks County where KU is located… makes for an environment where you get a lot of molds and other things that grow.”

Despite the fact that KU is located in a high allergen area, certain types of mold may only have an effect on individuals who have specific allergens, according to Lendzinski.

Nonetheless,Johnson Tiles UK offer the largest range of porcelain tiles online, it is imperative for students to take precautions by decreasing any other mold exposure. Lendzinksi recommended that students clean apartments, especially bathrooms,You can find best china precision Precision injection molds manufacturers from here! with mold killing products, such as a bleach solution of no more than one cup of bleach in one gallon of water.

Common symptoms of mold allergies are skin irritation, runny nose, headaches, mild cough, sneezing, wheezing and eye irritation. The symptoms, however, are closely related to other mild illnesses. Any student who feels unusual symptoms should visit the Health & Wellness Center immediately.

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