University health officials told Ingraham Hall employees Wednesday that the mold spores present in the building since mid-September will be controlled shortly and communication issues are actively being resolved.
Natalia Aiello, Ingraham Hall facility manager, said the issue has been prolonged by communication problems within the building.
This meeting was to address the overall situation to come up with a better plan for communication,"" she said.
According to Aiello, Ingraham Hall plans to create an online building update that occupants can use to find information and ask questions about the mold situation. She said the website will be online by next week.
About 10 people with offices on the third floor have voluntarily relocated to different buildings as a result of the mold. Several other occupants from different floors, particularly the basement, have also complained about the presence of mold in their workspace, according to Aiello.
""Nobody's been evacuated from their offices,"" she said. ""People have left because they've been uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.""
According to Channel3000, UW-Madison employee Denise Wiyaka said at the meeting, ""Each time we spent any significant time in our offices, our throats and our eyes would start to burn,"" which made the employees leave.
Over the past few weeks, air quality tests have been administered in offices by request, as well as in random spots throughout Ingraham Hall.
""The latest testing was very good; we've had almost all of the testing show that the mold levels inside were less than the mold levels outside,"" said Keith Burdick of the UW Environment, Health and Safety Department. ""That's what we strive to do.""
""We did find a couple places that the levels are still a little high [and] people are still having some symptoms,"" said Burdick, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
Members of the Ingraham Hall staff plan to immediately expand their inspection by going to each office and addressing occupants' concerns, according to Aiello.
""We're hoping we get that taken care of in the very near future, which would be as quick as this weekend,"" Burdick said, but he noted that mold exists at some levels in all university buildings.
