mold-symptom.com

KENT, Ohio -- Sixteen Kent State University students living on the first floor of Engleman Hall had to relocate to the Allerton apartments because of a black mold that had been growing on the first floor after heavy rains during the summer.

The students had to move because of health risks and so the university could fix the problem, said Ron Kirksey, director of university communications.

The university will start fixing the problem today, Kirksey said. None of the other floors in Engleman were affected.

Benjamin Garing doesn't see himself leaving Allerton anytime soon.

"Even if they had it finished, we wouldn't move back," said the post-undergraduate architecture major, referring to the time it took to move. "By the time it's finished, it would be winter."

Garing was one of the four students who originally discovered the mold. He also works for the Office of the University Architect and said he thinks the problem will take months to repair.

The results came back Tuesday. It was a black mold, scientifically known as Stachybotrys chartarum.

Black mold has health risks, such as respiratory damage, for those exposed to it for long periods of time, according to the Web site for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. None of the students were around it for long enough to have symptoms.