Archive for November 2006
The Curse of Black Mold
November 28, 2006, 10:32 amIncreasingly local news is taking up the campaign to draw awareness to some of the health and economic impacts of mold. This report by WWMT is an interesting glimpse into one situation in Michigan, and it also includes a video copy of the original report, well worth a view. To quote:
BATTLE CREEK (NEWS 3) - Mold is a fact of life, but when certain types take hold in your home, removing them is in many ways a nightmare.
News 3 has followed the story of the Koch family of Battle Creek for more than five years, since they first found black mold growing all over the home. It hasn’t taken that long to clean it up, but they’re still fighting with their insurance company over who should pay.
And in Michigan, who pays for the damage is one very real part of the curse of black mold.
“And this, that’s loose like this, that’s all water damage,” says Terri Koch, as she showed News 3 her home. “That’s all water damage. When you see dark spots, that’s where water soaked in.”
Home construction is common, but for the Kochs, the work going on inside and out is a little different. They’re fixing mistakes, they say, their insurance company made.
“Farm Bureau put us through a rough ride,” Koch says, “a real rough ride.”
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources, News category)
Mold Forces Waterbury Library To Toss 20,000 Books, Documents
November 21, 2006, 10:26 amAlways tragic to hear of the losses that result from mold infestation. Personally I love books, and thus it strikes me as a genuine loss to hear about the following from NBC 30:
WATERBURY, Conn. — Mold infestation is forcing librarians in Waterbury to throw away more than 20,000 books and other items, according to officials.The items, some of which date to the 19th century, are expected to go into the trash bin in the next few months because of the spreading mold at the main library, authorities said.The Silas Bronson Library’s director said the items were being stored because they weren’t used or requested very often. They range from old copies of the Congressional Record to volumes of Opera News magazine and Gallup Poll results from the 1970s.
High humidity and poor ventilation caused a mold problem about two years ago in the library’s storage area. The city bought dehumidifiers and improved the ductwork, and it is now seeking bids for the cleanup job.Some items, such as old city records, are expected to be saved despite the possible mold problems because they’re too important to lose, officials said.The library’s director said he’ll seal them in individual plastic bags if necessary rather than sacrifice the history they contain.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the News category)
Owners can fix small mold spots
November 13, 2006, 10:06 amThe Detroit Free Press has a great feature called Ms. Builder, in their real estate section. It’s an advice column, where readers submit questions about their homes and related subjects. Recently they had a question about mold in homes, and the answer is quite informative:
Dear Ms. Builder: We are fixing up our house to sell. There are a couple of small moldy spots on the ceiling and walls from previous leaks. They look bad but have caused no problems. How can we fix them? – Cammy W.
Dear Cammy: Homeowners have major concerns today about mold in houses because of the many stories done on dangerous black mold. Actually, most mold looks pretty black on a light surface, so people, especially ones with children, are understandably concerned when they see any discoloration from mold.
Unless you live in the desert with extremely low humidity, your house will have mold growing somewhere in it. Even in relatively dry climates, just the normal human activities in a house create enough moisture to allow some mold to thrive — often in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.
If potential buyers have a qualified house inspector check your home before they sign the contract, the mold will likely be detected, so it is wise to repair the spots now. Since they are small spots, you are allowed to fix them yourself.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources, General category)
Unhealthy Public Housing in Alameda County?
November 7, 2006, 8:00 amThis story is rather depressing, especially given the economic difficulties the family was already in. To quote from Inside Bay Area:
Millie T. has been pleading with the Alameda County Housing Authority to find new housing for herself and her 6-year-old daughter after her daughter developed complications from what she says are unhealthy conditions in their publicly provided apartment.
Millie, who did not want her last name used, and her daughter’s Fremont pediatrician, Dr. Xuan Le, believe that the girl’s sickness is caused by mold inside and between the walls of the apartment.
Le says he has written five notes to the Housing Authority stating that the family needs to move to newer housing.
“She has a long, chronic history of allergic rhinitis and now has developed allergic asthma. For better management of these illnesses, I strongly recommend that she live in an environment free of both mildew and mold, which can aggravate both allergies and asthma,” Le wrote in a letter submitted to the Housing Authority on Aug. 1. This was also stated in a Feb. 3 letter.
Despite the doctor’s notices, the Housing Authority said it sees nothing wrong with Millie’s living situation.
“It is our determination that there are no inherent construction defects or active water leaks that created mold-like growth in (Ms. T.’s) rental unit,” wrote Sharon DeCray, a Housing Authority manager who inspected the unit on July 12 and wrote back to Millie on July 19.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the News category)
Mold debate and controversy
November 7, 2006, 7:42 amI was doing some election day reading this morning, going over some blogs to see what people were thinking as the polls opened, and I came across this interesting post from IlliniPundit.com talking about mold. I couldn’t help but chuckle as even heated politics can be set aside for concerns of mold. Here’s quoting from the post:
A commenter wondered how aggressive I’d be after the election investigating the mold issue. I can assure you that I’ll keep up the fight. Here are just a few of the unanswered questions I have.
Why wasn’t the stormwater detention plan implemented prior to the construction proceeding?
I received a call from a worker who had been told that the mold on the site was nontoxic. In fact, the mold was toxic, so what was done to protect workers?
I received a document from PKD that is dated prior to the primary that says that work would not be completed until July. Why was that timeline not released?
When did the board vote to expand the project from 20 million to 21.6 million?
The environmental experts said that no construction should proceed unless the moisture content of the wood had dropped to acceptable levels. According to my latest FOIA response, there was no testing done of the wood to determine moisture content. Why not?
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the General category)
State Politician to propose bill to regulate mold remediation
November 5, 2006, 10:49 pmThis strikes me as a great development. While we’re all against mold, and want to see it removed from our homes, there’s all sorts of tricksters preying upon as we do so. So kudos to Earl Carter, a George State Representative who’s trying to do something about it. To quote from the Savannah Morning News:
A Georgia state representative said Tuesday that he’s proposing a bill that will require anyone who practices microbial inspection and remediation to have a license, in hopes that mold remediation will become more safe and organized.
Earl L. ‘Buddy’ Carter, representative for House District 159, said the new bill, called the Microbial Professionals Licensing Act, will have to go through a lengthy process in order to be passed. If passed, the bill will set new statutes, including established standards for collecting, sampling, analysis and reporting of microbial contaminants.
“(Licensed) people can tell their customers, ‘I’ve been trained in the minimal amount of training, and I’m going to be held responsible for the work,’” Carter said. “It can cause physical problems and people have suffered because of it. We need to have some rules and regulations.”
The bill states, “…it is necessary in the interests of the public health, safety, and welfare to prevent damage to the real and personal property of the residents of this state and to avert economic injury to the residents of this state to regulate individuals that hold themselves out to the public as qualified to perform microbial assessments and microbial remediation.”
This bill is not a new concept, according to Carter. He said he proposed a similar bill last year, but it didn’t pass. Carter said he plans on submitting it again this year and hopes to do so on Nov. 15.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the legal, News category)
How to avoid indoor air pollutants
November 5, 2006, 9:48 pmHere’s a resource provided by the Green Guide. Here’s their passage on mold:
Pesky yet omnipresent biological matter —mold, mildew, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and pollen, to name just a few— can spell misery to the more than 50 million Americans suffering from asthma and allergic diseases, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
If you have recurrent cold or flu-like symptoms, see a doctor. “Having a test done to find out what you’re allergic to is a critical first step,” says Janice Nolen, M.S., director of national policy for the American Lung Association. And a thorough vaccuuming, wet mopping/dusting and bedding wash will remove a host of microscopic invaders right off the bat.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources category)