person gloved check ventilation in the dirt with a cotton swab, cleaning dusty ventilation grilles, on a moldy white wall

The facilities management department at University of Oklahoma has cleaned air vents in the dorms after four different types of mold that can cause illness were found in the Couch Center dorm in last 2018, according to an article on the OU Daily website.

The director of facilities management at the Norman, Oklahoma, campus released an update to the university on the completion of cleaning and refurbishment of all fan coil units in the air units and bathroom vents of each room in Walker, Couch and Adams Centers.

The department started cleaning the vents in October 2018 to make sure they work efficiently. More than 2,200 fan coil units were cleaned through a 15-step process using a local restoration contractor.

Each fan coil unit was fully inspected before returning the system to service, while many units were dirty and clogged with debris and dust, according to the statement. Trilink indicated less than one percent of the units had any indication of mold or mildew in the unit.

University of Oklahoma is not the only campus to deal with mold issues. Dorms were deep cleaned at the University of Maryland in College Park in Dec. 2018 as students are growing increasingly concerned that mold problems may be linked to the death of a freshman.

According to news reports, Olivia Paregol, 18, died from the same rare virus that killed 11 children in a New Jersey healthcare facility.