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Mold
Inspector in the News
The
news article below was on page 1 of the St. George, Utah, Daily
Spectrum newspaper on
March 9, 2002.
Toxic
mold invades house, sickens family
03/09/2002
By JANE ZHANG
Ivins —
Tiffany McDonald, 21, knew there must be something enigmatic about
her house near 200 East in Ivins.
Two years
ago, her grandmother, Mary Brennan, who was described as an
energetic hiker, unexpectedly died of breast cancer at age 64,
three years after she moved into the $60,000 house. Then, during
her pregnancy, McDonald spent 10 days in the hospital because of
“a weird smell” in the house.
And only
nine months after her daughter, Lainee, was born, the baby was
bleeding internally, beginning a series of ailments from asthma to
diarrhea to bacterial infection.
“Seriously,
I would rather leave everything than feeling the way we felt,”
said McDonald, who moved to her parents’ house in St. George
about seven weeks ago. The best way, she said, “probably is just
forcing yourself out, bankrupt and start over.”
The
condemnation of her house was blamed on toxic mold, which had
invaded the bathroom, closet and bedroom. The fungus, which has
200 species, is routinely found in the United States, such as
stachybotrys, chaetomium and penicillium, display black, gray,
brown and other colors with a musty smell. Spreading through
spores, mold can cause health problems to adults and pets if they
inhale it, swallow it or touch moldy surfaces. But it’s
especially hazardous to small children, the elderly and people
with weakened immune systems.
In 2000,
Newsweek magazine reported that mold accounted for 6 to 7 percent
of all chronic sinusitis cases. A report by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development last year confirmed that certain
types of mold can lead to asthma, allergies, infectious diseases
and such toxic effects as aflatoxin-induced liver cancer.
In recent
years, mold has triggered thousands of lawsuits, prompting the
first mold bill in the nation last year, which required California
home sellers to disclose mold problems. Even Erin Brockovich, made
famous by the movie with her name, fought against landlords and
insurers for the mold contamination in her house. In 2001, a Texas
court awarded $32.1 million to victims exposed to extensive mold
damage in their homes.
Phillip
Fry, a certified mold inspector and manager of Mold Inspector in
Hurricane, said mold exists in the southwestern desert area
because of the wide use of swampcoolers, which are susceptible to
leaking while traveling from the roof down into the house. Mold,
which grows in dark, moist and warm environments, can suck
nutrition and water from various building materials, such as
cardboard, wallpaper and wooden substances.
There
have been reports that a family in Oregon burned its
mold-contaminated house. As for his house, he said, there’s not
much he can do.
“Talk
to the bank, mostly. Lose it,” he said. “What can I do? I
don’t have any money to fix it. It won’t appraised for what
it’s worth it.”
To find a Certified
Mold Inspector in your area, please click on:
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
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