<p>my daughter is a freshman, she has been experiencing some problems...nausea, difficulty swallowing, headache. Has been to health services and told to rest. </p>
<p>There was mold in their bathroom ceiling and it was painted over by maintenance.</p>
<p>Has anyone experienced any problems with the air quality of their child dorm?
If so, what did you do?</p>
<p>I had to buy my D an air purifier. I read reviews on allergy websites and had one shipped directly to her. She (and her room mate) loved it. It has moved into apartments with her and she still uses it.
That said, if mold is present that needs to be addressed.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply</p>
<p>Several other kids on their dorm floor claimed to notice a difference in my D s room. Did need to stay on top of filter changes.</p>
<p>I would think painting over the mold would lock it in, so to speak, but the source might still be problem.</p>
<p>Are there new carpets? Or was any work done on the dorms over the summer?</p>
<p>If so, is there a place your daughter can move to, temporarily?</p>
<p>Outgassing of carpets, paints, formaldehyde, glues or other substances is a different issue than allergies and can really only be addressed by absenting oneself until the outgassing is over. Two weeks or so, with windows open and maybe a fan, can really help.</p>
<p>Otherwise, there are a lot of bugs going around right now…</p>
<p>Painting over mold doesn’t ‘lock it in’. It will still grow, and can cause the paint to peel. </p>
<p>You have to scrub it with detergent and maybe sand it to eradicate it and let it dry out before painting. Also:
[Painting</a> over mold is not enough | Star Tribune](<a href=“http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/52200292.html]Painting”>http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/52200292.html)</p>
<p>“According to the EPA, molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants and in some cases potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals”</p>
<p>I am very allergic to mold myself. What I meant is that if it is painted over and not yet coming through, it would be unlikely to cause symptoms. I am sure it breaks through and causes peelling but a recent paint job would be more likely to cause symptoms because of the paint fumes perhaps, than the mold itself. And what kind of mold are we talking about here?</p>
<p>copmom, you have a great point. also new mattresses are sprayed with a toxic mixture of chemicals to make them fire retardant(complements of the chemical manufacturing lobby). this toxic soup… off gasses and effects the entire room as well as when you are laying down to sleep you are inhaling the chemicals point blank.
<a href=“http://www.mattress-inquirer.com/do-you-have-a-toxic-mattress/[/url]”>http://www.mattress-inquirer.com/do-you-have-a-toxic-mattress/</a></p>
<p>Dorms are generally disinfected, fumigated, painted and refurbished for the beginning of the school year. Add to that all the new stuff the students bring with them, and you have the makings of a nice chemical zoo as compmom and zobroward point out. These are things you might do at home but hardly ever all at the same time. It’d be interesting to do a comparison test of the air of a dorm room at the beginning of the school year, middle, and then by the end. Could do as a research paper (might not make administrators too happy).</p>
<p>One other thought: does she have a memory foam (latex) mattress pad? These are notorious for off-gassing and can make sensitive people sick. My daughter aired hers out for about a month before bringing it to school with her.</p>
<p>If you can’t identify the source of the allergen, then definitely get an air purifier (not the ozone-generating kind–those are horrible for asthmatics).</p>
<p>J’adube…so true what you said. a lot of people get new sheets and comforters and never wash them before use. (they are covered in chemical residue from the manufacturing /dying process and are also sprayed with formaldehyde/pesticides for the transportation from china/india to avoid infestations and or mildew since they are stuck in hot dark containers for months when shipped. those items can also be culprits if the mattresses are not the issue. same with that cool new college sweat shirt from the book store and socks you picked up at Target and never washed because they are “new”. (multiplied by every room in the dorm)</p>
<p>J’adoube, many, many dorms are not adequately cleaned or painted between semesters. We just had a discussion about this at the end of August between several moms comparing move ins. 5 moms, 8 dorms. Only one freshly painted. And several in deep of deep clean. All needed dusting and wipe down (except the freshly painted dorm). </p>
<p>My D requested the air purifier due to dust coming out of AC unit.</p>
<p>S has an air purifier and it really works hard the first day we put it in the room cleaning out all the dust!</p>
<p>We buy those foam pads early, take them out of the plastic packaging, and have them outgas on the porch.</p>
<p>You can request new filters for AC or heat.</p>
<p>bhmomma: Wait until OSHA gets on their case. Anyhow, from what I’ve seen, after a couple of months many dorm rooms need an Amazon Class clearing crew to get past the door. And I mean the jungle, not the one you order things from.</p>
<p>york mom any updates to share?</p>