mold-symptom.com

Mold is growing in the Cumberland County Health Department building.

Health Director Wayne Raynor said patches of mold have been found mostly in third-floor rooms that are not regularly used.

Raynor said the part of the building's heating and air conditioning unit that pulls moisture from the air broke last year. An employee in the building knew how to make the system work without the component, but Raynor said that employee no longer works for the Health Department.

"The equipment needs to be either repaired or replaced," Raynor said.

Until then, he said the housekeeping staff is using a bleach and water mixture to clean the mold from the walls when they find it. He also said doors to rooms that are not regularly used are being opened and fans are being used to circulate air.

Raynor said Health Department employees began noticing the mold in late summer and early fall.

"Mold is ubiquitous; it's everywhere," Raynor said. "There are certain environments that are conducive to mold growth. Certainly we should not have it growing inside a work environment."

Raynor said mold itself does not present a health hazard. However, he said it can trigger an allergy or an asthma attack in some people.

"We have a zero tolerance policy here," Raynor said. "We're committed to getting rid of it."

Older buildings with aging heating and air conditioning units and old carpet are more susceptible to mold growth, Raynor said.

Unlike the toxic black mold that has caused problems at N.C. Central University and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the mold growing in the Health Department Building is gray mold, which is not toxic.

"I wouldn't call ours the 'good' mold," Raynor said. "It's all bad and should be cleaned up."