Forget Plastics The Future Is in Mold
 

Complaints Rise as Newcomers Flock Into Fungus-Removal Work; How to Get Rid of It Yourself

By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Seven months ago, David Barr was repairing heating and air-conditioning units in New York City. But he decided a better future lay in mould. "I think there's a good growth opportunity," he says.

Now Mr. Barr is a mould inspector and remediator who charges about $125 to test mould in people's homes. He took a $1,000 home-study course he found on the Internet and passed a multiple-choice exam, plus a quiz over the phone. He even has a mould-inspector badge, issued by a group called the Certified Mold Inspectors & Contractors Institute [now known as Professional Certification Institute]. "We did a lot of research and study," during the course, says Mr. Barr, who feels he is qualified to do mould cleanup. [underlining and color added for emphasis].

As individual homeowners try to get a grip on their mould problems, state attorneys general and consumer groups say they are seeing a stream of complaints about botched cleanup jobs done by inexperienced workers. The problem has gotten serious enough that several states are working on regulations and licensing requirements for mould-inspection and -remediation companies.

GOT MOULD?   If the moldy area in your home is less than 10 square feet you can usually clean it up yourself. Here are some tips on getting rid of the fuzzy stuff -- and for making sure it doesn't grow back. • First, fix the leak or whatever is causing moisture. If you don't, the fungus is likely to grow back.   • Don gloves, goggles and a mask. If the mould is on a hard surface, like ceramic tile, scrub the area with detergent and water and dry completely.   • Remove any absorbent or porous materials that are moldy—such as ceiling tiles and carpet—in a sealed plastic bag to prevent spreading mould spores.   • Keep indoor moisture below 60% relative humidity to prevent mould from growing back.   • Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering. Use exhaust fans or open windows whenever cooking or running the dishwasher.   • Vent appliances that produce moisture, such as clothes dryers, stoves and kerosene heaters to the outside where possible.     Sources: epa.gov, WSJ research

Currently, there are no federal or state regulations, and mould companies aren't required to be licensed or certified.

"My nail technician is more regulated" than mould cleaners, says Melinda Ballard, head of Policyholders of America, a nonprofit group in Austin, Texas. "There's something wrong with that." Ms. Ballard started the organization, which helps people file insurance claims, after winning a mould-related lawsuit against an insurer.

Such suits helped give rise to a flood of mould claims and to so-called mould remediation -- an industry that was virtually nonexistent a few years ago. Lured by the promise of fatter paychecks, workers with minimal training soon started billing themselves as mould remediators. There are now between 10,000 and 20,000 mould-removal companies in the country, according to the Indoor Air Quality Association, which offers a mould-cleanup training program.

Mould remediation can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to more than $100,000 depending on the scope of the problem. And since almost every major insurer now excludes mould from standard policies, many consumers must pay out of their own pockets.

The proliferation of new companies has led to a number of horror stories. When Kase Velasco's kitchen sink started leaking, his insurer dispatched a company to clean up the water and black mould that had spread on the wall behind the sink. Mr. Velasco, his wife, and two children packed up and moved out of their Houston home and into a nearby apartment while the mould cleanup company took apart their house to eradicate the fungus.

GETTING HELP   If you need an expert to clean up mould in your home, here are some steps to help find a reliable one: • Check a firm's complaint record with local consumer affairs agencies and Better Business Bureau.   • Ask for examples of removal experience and check references.   • To avoid conflicts of interest, don't hire the same company to do both the inspection and remediation.

Seven months, and about $22,000 in insurance money later, the family moved back. So did the mould. A round of testing showed mould levels were actually higher than when they left. He learned that the company hired to get rid of the mould had been in the roofing business just six months before.

"All they were was glorified demolition guys," says Mr. Velasco, a commercial-real-estate developer, who declined to name the company.

Mould Relief Inc., a nonprofit organization in Norman, Okla., that offers assistance to families affected by indoor mould, has received dozens of complaints from California to Oklahoma to Virginia about improper inspections or cleanup jobs. "I get calls from everywhere," says Elisa Larkin, executive director of Mould Relief. Companies come in to people's homes, she says, "and a week later there's mushrooms growing in the carpet."

Mould Restoration

Last month, Mould Restoration Inc., a mould-remediation company, agreed to pay upward of $800,000 for restitution to consumers in a settlement of a lawsuit brought two years go by then Texas Attorney General John Cornyn on behalf of half a dozen consumers. The suit alleged that the company left homeowners with unfinished restoration work meant to correct severe mould. An attorney for Mould Restoration says the company didn't admit any wrongdoing. Since June of 2002 the Attorney General's office has received nearly 200 other complaints against various mould-remediation companies.

At least two states -- Louisiana and Texas -- have enacted legislation that would require some form of licensing or registration for anyone involved with mould inspection, analysis or cleanup, though much of the details are still being worked out.

Several other states, and at least one federal lawmaker, have introduced bills that seek to research and establish standards regarding mould identification and remediation.

Part of the problem with trying to establish regulatory practices around mould is there are no standards for acceptable levels of mould inside a home. Moulds are part of the natural environment and can be found practically everywhere. Different people have different sensitivities to moulds. When testing is done, it usually just compares the levels and types of mould spores found inside the home with those on the outside.

If the moldy area is less than 10 square feet, you can usually clean it up yourself. If the moldy area is larger, or if you smell mould but can't see it, you should hire someone to do the cleanup. Experts advise that homeowners check with local consumer affairs agencies and the Better Business Bureau before engaging a testing or remediation company. Ask a company for examples of removal experience and check references. And avoid conflicts of interest by not hiring the same company to do both the inspection and remediation.

Read about the Certified Mold Inspectors & Contractors Institute [now known as Professional Certification Institute (PCI)] in this Wall Street Journal article, Feb. 12, 2004.

                   Click here to enroll at Professional Certification Institute (PCI) now!