A portion of the Southern Cayuga High School has been closed off due to an odor problem, a county health official confirmed Friday.

The Cayuga County Health Department is calling the malodor coming from the Southern Cayuga High School a nuisance rather then a serious public health concern.

Public health sanitarium Scott King said the district first reported what was thought to be a mold problem in early April, after a heavy period of rainfall. The smell was said to have been noticeable but disappeared after a while.

Recently, however, the odor has returned.

"The school reported to us that they decided, for the time being, not to use that portion of the wing where the odor is," King said. "People don't like to work in an area that smells bad, but a bad smell does not indicate an immediate health problem."

The health department has not been able to confirm that mold is the source of the odor, but officials do believe that something has changed in the building recently to trigger the smell.

"We have sent a technician down there, but no one has been able to pinpoint the smell," King said. "So it is not an obvious problem."

King said that even if mold is confirmed, there is no need to panic. While mold can trigger some allergic reactions, there will be no immediate danger to the students or faculty at the high school.

State Department of Health officials will be joining the county and hazardous material officials from the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES to further investigate the situation on Monday.

Hazardous material officials at BOCES diverted questioning to superintendent Peter Cardamone, who thus far has declined to provide information.

"The building definitely smells," King said. "But we are taking it step by step to help the school find the source of the problem and correct it."