Mold Found in Duke Dorm

No students have been moved, and the mold doesn't appear to pose a serious health risk to students, said Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services.

Hull sent an e-mail Friday to students in Edens 2A, informing them that mold had been found in four rooms on the fifth floor.

“We won’t know for sure until Monday how serious the problem may be. At this point, it does not appear to be an exposure problem,” Hull said in a statement. “We take these things very seriously.”

Inspectors with Duke’s Occupational and Environmental Safety Office are collecting air and surface samples inside and outside the building. Preliminary test results indicate the mold inside the building “is of the type most commonly recurring in our local outdoor environment,” Hull said.

Mold was discovered last fall in two of the five buildings that form the Edens Quad, including student rooms and common areas. At that time, the air handlers were cleaned, coated with paint and new diffusers were installed.