High levels of molds found in one of University of Louisville oldest residence hall has made the university officials to ask the students to clear out their dorm rooms amid the stressful period of midterm exams.

About 270 freshmen are asked to seek alternate housing facilities and are being moved other university-affiliated buildings due to the growth of molds. Local students are asked to move in with their family or relatives.

According the university statement, 'elevated levels of mold spores known as aspergillus and penicillium were found' in the Miller Hall and it will remain closed for the remainder of fall 2012 semester for 'extensive cleaning, remediation and source identification' purposes.

Though these molds typically do not pose a health risk to most people, they can cause problems at elevated levels - especially for those with respiratory problems such as asthma, allergies and those with high sensitivity to mold. The high exposure to these molds in closed spaces too can cause problems to students.

Dr. Phillip Bressoud, director of student health, said though he cannot say how many students have infected by the molds, he did say that 15 students who were sent to campus health center were experiencing symptoms that is consistent with mold exposure.

Shannon Staten, director of student housing, also hinted at the possibility of other residence halls being infected by similar molds.

According to the couier-journal.com, the cause behind the sudden growth of mold has not been known. Officials do not attribute it to the flooding on campus in recent years.

The decision to close down the Miller Hall came after the authorities confirmed the presence of molds in 80 percent of the dorm rooms.

The university does not have an estimate of how much this mold problem is going to cost the university, monetarily.

"We've been focusing on how to take care of these students so they're distracted as little as possible," Staten said to corier-journal. "We'll worry about that later."

The university is not charging anything extra to the students who chose to opt for other campus-affiliated housing facilities. Also, it is ready to refund the housing cost, if the students decide to cancel the in-house dwelling facility contract altogether.