Ohio State parents hire company to test air in dorm after mold found in rooms

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Concerns of mold and mushrooms in an Ohio State freshman residence hall are growing. 

The university said a water leak is to blame. About 40 students from 19 rooms have been temporarily relocated while the university said it is working to fix the problem. 

Now, parents like Jennifer Schusterman, are putting pressure on the university.

"This is appalling," Schusterman said. "This is disgusting, and this is not how they should be introduced to college."

According to an Ohio State spokesperson, work to repair the leak and any water damage inside Lawrence Tower is underway. They would not comment on the scope of the damage. Parents like Susan Markstein are begging for transparency.

"Help us understand what that remediation looks like," Markstein said. "What's the total damage? What are you going to have to do? And, in reality, can the students even really move back into the dorm and be safe?"

Schusterman had a daughter living in Lawrence Tower but recently moved her out due to mold concerns. She was one of dozens of parents who hired Mold Mentor to test 28 dorm rooms for mold. Those tests revealed 27 of the 28 rooms tested came back positive for black mold. 

Zach Duffey conducted the tests. He said one of his biggest concerns was the fresh air intake inside the building, which was once a hotel.

"We couldn't really identify where any fresh air was coming in," Duffey said. "It seems that each room, just like a hotel, each room has an air handler for heating and cooling but it's recycling the air that's in the room, as opposed to introducing fresh air into it."

The university confirmed the windows inside Lawrence Tower don't open. 

Duffey said he believes there are potential health risks to occupants of Lawrence Tower. He is urging university officials to reconsider the environmental standard of student housing. He is also recommending university officials hire a third-party, independent, and unbiased, industrial hygienist to evaluate Lawrence Tower for sick building syndrome.

Some parents said their kids have been sick since they moved in.

"When you have mold toxicity, your symptoms can worsen and require you to get out of that environment in order to start getting better, people often don't get better right away," Duffey said.

"Every time we spoke to her she's coughing, she's complaining of headaches, she's stuffed up, she just was always saying 'I don't feel well'," Schusterman said.

Some parents have shelled out thousands of dollars on doctors and emergency room visits, on top of the cost of room and board at Ohio State. 

"They did CT scans, MRI's, chest x-rays, abdomen, the whole bit, $20,000 bill later, can't find anything," Markstein said.

Alex Litton said she had this same problem when she moved into Lawrence Tower two years ago. She ended up transferring out of Ohio State because of it. She said she'd break out head to toe in hives, and eventually, it got to be too much.

"It's sad to see that other people have to go through this in order for them to maybe make a change," Litton said.

Now parents want answers and some sort of credit from the university. 

"We want the university to work with us," Markstein said. "Be transparent. They're only communicating with the students. I understand that's policy, but in this case, can they make an exception."

Several parents are considering taking legal action if they don't get the transparency they're looking for from the university.

According to the university, if any student notices water-related or other issues within their specific room, the university said they should submit a facilities service request by clicking here.