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Toxic Mould In News: Home Invasion in Utah

The news article below was on page 1 of the St. George, Utah, Daily Spectrum newspaper on March 9, 2002.

Toxic mould 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 mould, 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, mould 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 mould 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 mould can lead to asthma, allergies, infectious diseases and such toxic effects as aflatoxin-induced liver cancer.

In recent years, mould has triggered thousands of lawsuits, prompting the first mould bill in the nation last year, which required California home sellers to disclose mould problems. Even Erin Brockovich, made famous by the movie with her name, fought against landlords and insurers for the mould contamination in her house. In 2001, a Texas court awarded $32.1 million to victims exposed to extensive mould damage in their homes.

Phillip Fry, a certified mould inspector and manager of Mould Inspector in Hurricane, said mould 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. Mould, which grows in dark, moist and warm environments, can suck nutrition and water from various building materials, such as cardboard, wallpaper and wooden substances.

McDonald’s father, Paul Brennan, has recently quit his job as a crane operator to become an independent contractor working with Fry. On a recent afternoon, Brennan, dressed in a  protective suit, one-piece eye goggles and gloves, moved chairs, toys and furniture into a clean tent with double insulation. After a chemical spray, he turned on a fan for about an hour to drive out swarms of colonies.

When his mother bought the house, Paul Brennan said, the previous owner had reported flood damage in the house. Mary Brennan spent more than $10,000 to remodel the house, blanketing the floors with bleach. Unfortunately, he said, bleach can’t penetrate rock, cement and wood. Soon it came back even more so, contaminating “every room” through the circulating air.

Even though it’s hard to establish a direct link between mould and breast cancer, Brennan said the family was convinced that high levels of mould have caused the sickness in their daughter and granddaughter. After McDonald and her child moved away from the house, she said, the symptoms began to go away. Lainee has also become more energetic and healthier.

Brennan encouraged people to inspect their homes for any possible water leakage. People also should test the level of mould before they buy a new house, he said. In the past two weeks, he has inspected four houses from Southern Utah to Northern Nevada.

There have been reports that a family in Oregon burned its mould-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.”

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