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Mould News
►Montreal  Suburb Acts Against Slumlord for Mould Problems, April 16,
    2011

    ► 40 Story 911 Ground Zero Skyscraper
   ► In Big Trouble Because of Mould Infestation
   ► Ed McMahon Sues Over Toxic Mould In L.A. Home

   ► Mould In Houses Causes New Headaches

   ► Mould and Health In The L.A. Times

   ► Tribe Seeking Mould Solution

   ► Stachybotrys In The Wall Street Journal

   ► Mould Infestation Threatens Homes

   ► Foul Air, Mould Threaten Metro Students

      ► Waldport Family Fighting mould In Their House
 

40 Story 911 Ground Zero Skyscraper

In Big Trouble Because of Mould Infestation
[from Cleaning and Maintenance Management Online, cmmonline.com]

NEW YORK — A 40-story skyscraper at the edge of Ground Zero withstood the terrorist attacks — but could be demolished because of a gross infestation of foul mould. The steel and glass face of the Deutsche Bank tower on Liberty Street was ripped open by a violent wave of debris from the collapsing World Trade Center.While the rubble damaged a major structural column in the building, engineers have deemed the tower stable.

The real problem is what's inside the walls. Officials at Ground Zero say an aggressive fungus — described as looking like black splotches — has spread rapidly in the walls and ventilation ducts of the building, which was valued at $178 million before September 11, the Daily News reported.

Cleanup crews and bank employees who have been in the tower said the mould is everywhere. Deutsche Bank has not released details about the mould. But city officials said they believe the fungus grew rapidly because of dark and damp conditions in the abandoned building. They said it does not appear related to any toxic contaminants from the collapsing towers.

Sprinklers inside the bank building apparently were triggered by intensely hot fires at Ground Zero and soaked many of the floors, the newspaper reported. The water eventually stopped, but weeks went by before workers were able to seal a 24-story gash in the building's facade.

"They got a big problem," said Terry Gordon, an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine who researches workplace air quality. Gordon said removing the mould from the tower would be a monumental task.

The bank is concerned enough about the mould and asbestos contamination in nearby buildings that it has allowed few employees to retrieve items from the offices, sources said. Those who have gone into the tower say they have had to undergo safety training and don a protective suit and respirator.

Deutsche Bank officials have been tight-lipped about the tower's fate. But the bank has quietly discussed razing or partially demolishing the building if the mould can't be scrubbed away, sources said. Spokesman Mark Lingnau said no decision has been made. The city is not pressuring the bank to make a move. Up

More News -----

[Toxic Mould Invades house, Sickens Family ] [Mould Terms] [Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides ][ Pre-Purchase Mould Test] [Mould Scams] [Medical Effects of Exposure to Toxic Mould] [Mould in the Bible] [Mould Prevention] [Canada Toxic Mould Lawsuits][ Mould Signs]
[Mold Invades Home In Utah] [More Mould News] [Home Builder Mold] [Mould Worries Real Estate Sectors] [Baby Breathing Problem] [The Future Is In Mould]
 

Ed McMahon Sues Over Toxic Mould In L.A. Home
April 10, 2002 Posted: 5:12 PM EDT (2112 GMT) on www.cnn.com

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- As Johnny Carson's sidekick, entertainer Ed McMahon was famed for his infectious laugh. But as a homeowner, he says he is involved in a drama that has left him seething.

McMahon, 79, is suing his home insurance company for $20 million, claiming it botched a simple repair on a broken pipe and, as a result, allowed a toxic mould to spread through his house, making his family sick and killing his dog.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, McMahon, who for years served as Carson's sidekick on NBC's "Tonight Show," said he, his wife Pamela, and household staff members have been battling illnesses as a result of exposure to a mould known as stachybotrus chartarum. He also said the family dog, Muffin, died as a result of a mould-induced infection.

It names Scottsdale, Arizona-based American Equity Insurance Co., a unit of Citigroup Inc., as a plaintiff as well as several Southern California contractors who had been hired to clean up the mould. A spokeswoman for American Equity declined to comment Wednesday.

According to the suit, a pipe burst last July in McMahon's estate in the posh Coldwater Canyon section of Los Angeles, causing his den to be flooded. McMahon made a claim under his policy with American Equity, which arranged to clean up the damage caused by the flooding.

The lawsuit charges that the contractors painted over visible mould and failed to provide the McMahons with environmental reports related to the levels of mould infestation despite repeated requests for documentation. Copyright 2002-2005 Reuters.  Up

Mould In Houses Causes New Headaches
Changes in homeowners insurance will ensure one thing -- confusion. 
By Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman Staff, January 26, 2002

For consumers, the chore of shopping for homeowners insurance is going to get more complicated.

Because of changes in the most common Texas homeowners policy, prompted by soaring claims for mould damage, consumers likely will have to shop around more for the best price and coverage. And they're likely to pay more for less coverage. Although insurance industry officials say the changes will foster competition and increase options for homeowners, consumer advocates disagree.

"Anyone who wants to be a good consumer and shop around, it's going to be almost impossible to compare apples and apples," said Dan Lambe, executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer research and advocacy group. "Everybody's going to have a different policy, a little different rate."

Allstate spokesman Justin Schmitt agreed that consumers are going to have to become savvier. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing because they'll have options. Agents can help them make choices."

One of the first challenges is understanding the different types of policies offered and how they have changed. Some insurance companies are discontinuing the most popular policy, the HO-B. Until now, 96 percent of Texas homeowners have bought a comprehensive HO-B policy, which covers most kinds of calamities, from lightning and hail to theft and explosions. It also covered water and mould-related damage, including expensive testing and decontamination procedures.

But as the number and cost of mould damage claims soared last year, some insurers began to restrict or end sales of new HO-B policies and raise premiums steeply on renewals.Some offered only the cheaper and less comprehensive HO-A policy, which covers water and mould damage only when caused by wind or hail.

The companies said soaring costs gave them no alternative. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the state's second-largest home insurer, said it expected to lose $300 million last year on claims for water and mould damage claims.

Insurers also complained that Texas required them to offer more extensive water-damage coverage than any other state. The state mandates the types of coverage, but amounts are up to homeowners.

In November, Insurance Commissioner José Montemayor, seeking to avoid a crisis in insurance affordability and availability, approved changes in coverage mandates and opened the door to companies offering variations on standard policies.

Now, HO-B policies cover only the immediate damage caused by a sudden or accidental water leak or discharge. Plus, homeowners must report such leaks to their insurance company within 30 days after they discover them, or should have discovered them. Homeowners who are not vigilant about maintenance may have their claims denied.

Under the new rules, homeowners can buy additional mould damage coverage in varying amounts, up to the coverage limit of their policies.

Separately, some insurance companies are introducing, with Insurance Department approval, beefed-up versions of their bare-bones HO-A policies at additional cost.

Farmers' enhanced HO-A policy, for example, includes limited coverage for water damage not covered under its basic HO-A policy. Allstate Corp. will offer an expanded HO-A Plus policy that caps coverage for mould removal at $5,000 to new customers, effective Monday. Starting in March, Allstate will offer the Plus policy to homeowners who renew. It will no longer offer its HO-B policy.

Prices vary by customer, but Allstate anticipates its expanded HO-A policy will cost an average of 20 percent less than its existing HO-B policy and about 16 percent more than its basic HO-A. State Farm Insurance Co., the largest insurer, plans to seek approval for three policy variations next month.

The growing number of options complicates the task of shopping for insurance. For starters, Montemayor cautions people not to cancel their current policies until they have another one in hand. They also should be aware that insurance companies may cancel newly issued policies in the first 90 days for virtually any reason, except illegal discrimination. If a consumer cancels a policy to buy another one, the previous insurer must refund the unused portion of the premium.

"A homeowner doesn't want any gap in coverage, and with insurers looking carefully at a homeowner's past claims, some companies are reluctant to add new policyholders who have had any water problems," Montemayor said.

Even with the new limits in HO-B policies, "B is still what you should be looking for if you can afford it," said Rod Bordelon of the state Office of Public Insurance Counsel. The public counsel, an arm of the Insurance Department, represents consumers interests.
Beyond that, consumers will have to read the fine print to discern the differences in policies.

"With the old system, you knew what you were getting," said Lambe of Texas Watch. "Now, with the endorsements, the opt-outs, the opt-ins, you can't just go on price anymore," he said. "And unfortunately, the lowest-priced coverage, more often than not, is going to be the coverage that has the most holes in it, leaving homeowners more vulnerable."

Sitting down with your agent periodically is a good idea anyway -- especially now, said Rick Gentry, executive director of the Insurance Council of Texas, a trade group.

He said information is available to help homeowners sort out the changes through their agents, the Insurance Department and other sources.

"Consumers are smart," Gentry said. "They know how to shop and evaluate. Why do you think they drive across town and go to Sam's Club? Because they know they can get a bargain."  Up

TEXAS Insurance Help

* www.tdi.state.tx.us is the Texas Department of Insurance home page. Links related to homeowners insurance include:
* www.tdi.state.tx.us//consumer/consum31.html
* www.tdi.state.tx.us/apps/perlroot/u--cp--homerate/rghome.html
* For general insurance questions, consumers may call the department's consumer line at 463-6515 in Austin or (800) 252-3439.
* Help also is available from the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, 322-4138.
* To file an insurance-related complaint visit online:
 www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/complfrm.html, or email ConsumerProtection@tdi.state.tx.us
 Fax: 475-1771or mail to Texas Department of Insurance Consumer Protection (111-1A) P.O. Box 149091 Austin, TX        78714-9091.

Mould & Health in the Los Angeles Times
On Dec. 16, 2001, the following excerpt was published as part of
Los Angeles Times reporter Diane Wedner's article "mould."

"By the time Geneva Nunnally discovered the bulge in her bathroom wall in June, she had been experiencing headaches, frequent nose bleeds and a sore throat off and on for about a year. It didn't occur to the interior designer that the doughy bathroom wall and her persistent flu-like symptoms were connected until inspectors discovered a thick layer of black mould growing between the exterior wall and the plaster of the bathroom wall.
          
"When we removed the wallpaper, the stench was so bad they had to wear masks," Nunnally said. "The environmental consulting company said it was the worst case of black mould they'd ever collected."

"After the moulds were identified as aspergillus, penicillium and stachybotrys chartarum--the so-called toxic moulds that have made headlines--Nunnally vacated her custom home in Westlake Village and took up residence with a friend in Malibu."  Up
 

Tribe seeking mould solution 
from http://www.rapidcityjournal.com, Jan. 18, 2002 

PINE RIDGE (AP) - The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council is trying to figure out how to deal with a growing infestation of mould across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Tribal leaders drafted a resolution this week calling it an emergency situation. They are asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for help. The tribe first wants to determine what kind of mould it's dealing with to see whether it's toxic, according to Oglala Sioux Housing Director Richard Shangreaux. Shangreaux said he is most concerned about Stachybotrys, a toxic mould that can be deadly. Officials are waiting for results of tests being done on samples that were sent to a lab.  Up
 

Stachybotrys in The Wall Street Journal
On May 15, 2001, The Wall Street Journal on its page one helped alert people and businesses to the growing problem of deadly Stachybotrys (or Stachybotris) mould contamination.

"Stachybotris chartarum, or stachy as it called for short, is invading a good many buildings and homes. The mould isn’t new, nor is the problem; but the recent outbreaks have people scared, and some of them have gone to extremes to deal with it. The fuzzy intruder lurks behind wallpaper and under sinks and feeds off moisture and building materials.

"Air-quality experts and doctors link it to illnesses ranging from dry coughs and runny noses to oozing rashes and constant fatigue. Allergy medicine helps, but for long-term relief of symptoms, you have to get rid of the mould. And despite all the mould and mildew removers for sale in supermarkets, that is easier said than done." ["Don’t Call Stachybotris the Black Plague, but It is Plaguing the South."]  Up

Mould Infestation Threatens Homes 
from http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010819/12/exp-black-mould Updated: Sun, Aug 19, 2001, By BRIAN WITTE, Associated Press Writer 

BELCOURT, N.D. (AP) - Lowella Allard no longer goes into her basement, where mould grips the walls and the damp, thick air is hard to breathe. Mould, she says, festers inside the insulation and is the reason behind her dry cough and frequent headaches. "I go through Tylenol like crazy and I just don't get any better," Allard said during a tour of her home by officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some 320 federally subsidized homes on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation are infested with mould. Residents say the infestation is sickening, and tribal officials say at least seven deaths in recent years could be related to the infestation, which is so pervasive they estimate 210 homes will have to be destroyed. Roughly 4,000 houses occupy the 72,000-acre reservation in north-central North Dakota. About 8,300 people call it home. Most of the infested homes are small - about 600 square feet with two bedrooms. They are built of wood-frame construction, have dirt floors and sit on a concrete block foundation over crawl spaces. Tribal officials are especially worried about the black mould, which can cause flulike and allergy like symptoms that can include skin rashes, inflammation of the respiratory tract, bloody noses, fever, headaches, neurological problems and suppression of the immune system. Charlissa Decoteau, whose mould-infested home was one of the five that officials visited in July, said she believes the mould contributed to the death of her 15-month-old daughter in 1998. Kyra Rose died shortly after running a 105-degree fever. "That much mould has got to do something to a baby," she said. "There's mould everywhere." The tribe believes two dams - Belcourt Dam near the city and Gordon Lake Dam, just off the reservation - may be contributing to excessive moisture, which could be exacerbating the mould. Additionally, a wet cycle in recent years has enabled the mould to thrive in homes. Crawl spaces under some homes are flooded with 2 feet to 3 feet of standing water. After a brief visit to the stuffy basement as Allard waited in her kitchen, Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota said he could understand why she stays upstairs. "This is bad. No wonder the woman is sick," he said as his eyes swept over a mould-covered wall. Later in the tour, he said he, too, felt unwell even though his visits indoors were brief. "I've never had that feeling in my life," he said as he described being overwhelmed by musty air that made him gag. "There are certainly a number of unexplained deaths, especially of children," Conrad said, "and we know that they had respiratory problems and we know that respiratory problems are caused by this type of black mould." Tribal chairman Richard Monette said seven or eight deaths in recent years are believed to be related to black mould. "We have no idea the scope of this health problem," he said. "The one thing that's clear to me is that it's going to be beyond what everybody is going to want to guess." In response, tribal officials have sought federal help. Congress approved $5 million in July to address the problem, and Conrad, who describes the infestation as an emergency situation, said he is seeking another $4 million. "Uncle Sam can't be a slum lord," Conrad said. "The federal government's got a legal liability here." But even the additional money, Conrad conceded, likely won't be sufficient to fully address the problem. He estimated about $20 million would be needed. "This is not a circumstance where you've got a little mould in a corner," Conrad said. "This is a situation where you have mould that's throughout the structure ... in the insulation, in the ceilings. I've never seen anything quite like it." Two recent reports commissioned by the tribe have found large amounts of sickening mould in homes, and the authors recommend moving residents out as soon as possible. "Let's just say it's as bad a mould situation as I've ever run across, and I've been doing this for almost 15 years," said Ronald Pearson, the principal toxicologist and industrial hygienist for Environmental Health and Safety Inc., a private consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in the preliminary stages of testing homes for black mould, spokeswoman Bernadette Burdon said. A preliminary CDC report found that three out of every four homes sampled had mould, said Becky Phelps, director of the Turtle Mountain Housing Authority. The tribe already has moved about 25 families from severely infested homes to less moldy ones. But some reservation residents have held protests, saying a response to their plight is not happening fast enough. "We've been moving people out based on medical emergencies as we get other units vacated for them to move into, but we're bottoming out in that area," Phelps said.