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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.”
To find a Certified
Mould Inspector in your area, visit
Mould Professionals.
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