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Monday Morning Mold - February 3, 2003
February 3, 2003
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Mold Stories
-- No Comment from Travelers' Regarding Suit against Housing Charity (Monday
Morning Mold, February 3, 2003)
-- Legislation targets mold remediators (Houston Chronicle, TX, February 1,
2003)
-- Harmful mold invades one woman's home (KESQ, Palm Springs, CA - January 30,
2003)
-- Escape from Mold Manor: Apartments on Sale (New York Post, NY - January 30,
2003)
-- Mold not cause of clients' ills, attorney says (The Express Times, PA -
January 28, 2003)
-- Mold costs still growing (Click here for: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI -
January 27, 2003)
-- Mold of the Week: Geotrichum
-- School Mold: First Mysterious Rash, Now Dangerous Mold (Dongola, IL Union
County School, KFVS, MO, February 2, 2003)
-- School Mold: Local School has mold problem (KESQ, Palm Springs, CA - January
31, 2003)
-- Spell of Trouble for [Harry Potter's] Dobby (The London Evening Standard -
January 28, 2003)
-- National Association of Mold Professionals Offers Mold Inspection &
Remediation Certification Courses (Yahoo News - January 27, 2003)
-- The Law Offices of Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill, APC
I'm
pleased to let you know that we've got a toll free number. It's 1-877-267-9637
(877-cmsynergy). So, give us a call with your questions or suggestions.
I'm
introducing another new section. After the usual mold stories, but before the
section on school mold, I'm featuring a "Mold of the Week." This week's mold is
geotrichum, a mold that grows on metal. I'm pretty sure I've run into this mold
in Southern California, growing on a credit card machine and bathroomd door
handles - just waiting for lab confirmation.
No
Comment from Travelers' Regarding Suit against Housing Charity (Monday Morning
Mold, February 3, 2003)
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On January 28, 2003, the day that I first reported on this lawsuit by Travelers
against Habitat for Humanity, I sent a written e-mail request to Travelers
asking them to comment on the litigation. So far, I've gotten no response. I
would like to present their views on the matter. If I hear anything from them,
I'll let you know. For reference, this is the story I reported on:
The
spread of mold litigation knows no bounds. Ask Sacramento Habitat for Humanity,
a charitable group sued twice for mold damage in a house it built.
Click here for: Moldy home suit hits Habitat for Humanity (Sacramento Business
Journal, CA, January 17, 2003)
Legislation
targets mold remediators (Houston Chronicle, TX, February 1, 2003)
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AUSTIN -- Heavy sheets of plastic held up by red tape hang throughout the house,
serving as doors to block off three rooms as a large dehumidifier hums in the
background.
The stage
is set for mold remediators wearing protective suits, gloves, goggles and
respirators to remove the stinky dark stuff growing under the kitchen sink and
behind the showers.
Click here for: Legislation targets mold remediators (Houston Chronicle, TX,
February 1, 2003)
Harmful mold
invades one woman's home (KESQ, Palm Springs, CA - January 30, 2003)
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You may have a problem in your home and not even know it. It can hurt your
health and cost thousands of dollars to repair.
The
problem is mold, and many people like Germaine Thomas never thought it could
cause so much damage.
Click here for: Harmful mold invades one woman's home (KESQ, Palm Springs, CA -
January 30, 2003)
Escape from
Mold Manor: Apartments on Sale (New York Post, NY - January 30, 2003)
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RESIDENTS at 515 Park Ave. are fleeing - and listing - their eight-figure luxury
lairs after learning about a toxic mold spreading throughout their
high-maintenance building.
Several
of the condo apartments, ranging from $7.9 million to $23 million, are flooding
the already-strained market for ultra-luxury properties.
Click here for: Escape from Mold Manor: Apartments on Sale (New York Post, NY -
January 30, 2003)
Mold not
cause of clients' ills, attorney says (The Express Times, PA - January 28, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The attorney representing some troubled homeowners in the Greenwich Chase
development said the black substance plaguing his clients is not mold.
Attorney
Mark Sophocles, who has offices outside of Philadelphia, said he does a lot of
work with toxic mold problems and believes the results of air tests commissioned
by the development's builder, Toll Brothers Inc. are accurate.
Click here for: Mold not cause of clients' ills, attorney says (The Express
Times, PA - January 28, 2003)
Mold costs
still growing (Click here for: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI - January 27, 2003)
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The cost of the mold infection at Hilton Hawaiian Village has reached an
estimated $55 million, because of a $15 million jump in expected spending on
system and product improvements, Hilton Hotels Corp. said today.
The
Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company plans $35 million in mold-related spending
this year, which is in addition to $20 million in charges taken by Hilton last
year for investigation and remediation efforts. It's still not clear how much of
the damage will be covered by insurance, Hilton officials told analysts today.
Click here for: Mold costs still growing (Click here for: Honolulu
Star-Bulletin, HI - January 27, 2003)
Mold of the
Week: Geotrichum
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"Mold of the Week" is a new feature I'm trying out. This week's mold is
geotrichum, which I find especially fascinating because it actually colonizes on
metal. It looks white and powdery, but if touches, it becomes slimy.
Apart
from its clinical significance, there are very recent claims on environmental
damages that Geotrichum might have caused. It has been blamed for destroying the
aluminium and data-storing polycarbonate resin that are found in the structure
of compact discs. This in turn led to discoloration of the disc, with the disc
becoming partly transparent. The exact role of Geotrichum in this destruction
process requires confirmation.
Click here for: Mold of the Week: Geotrichum
School Mold: First Mysterious Rash, Now Dangerous Mold (Dongola, IL Union
County School, KFVS, MO, February 2, 2003)
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The search for the cause of a mysterious rash that has plagued the Dongola
School since early January leads district leaders to a frightening discovery.
Tests done inside the Union County School building Friday revealed the presence
of Stachybotrys, or black mold, a potentially dangerous growth that can cause
breathing and other health problems.
District
leaders revealed the black mold findings at a special board meeting Monday
night, then announced the building will be shut down until further notice. Mead
Environmental of Cape Girardeau found traces of black mold inside several of the
classrooms in Dongola's new elementary wing. It also turned up in the cafeteria
and the building's old gymnasium.
Click here for: School Mold: First Mysterious Rash, Now Dangerous Mold (Dongola,
IL Union County School, KFVS, MO, February 2, 2003)
School Mold: Local School has mold problem (KESQ, Palm Springs, CA - January
31, 2003)
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Local parents say mold in their school is making their children sick. Now the
school is trying clean up the mess.
For
weeks, parents of students at Washington Charter School said their children were
coming home with bloody noses and allergy symptoms. They say they didn't know
what the problem was, until they discovered mold in their classroom.
Click here for: School Mold: Local School has mold problem (KESQ, Palm Springs,
CA - January 31, 2003)
Spell of Trouble for [Harry Potter's] Dobby (The London Evening Standard -
January 28, 2003)
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Dobby, the computer-animated elf in the new Harry Potter film, could be at the
centre of a court battle over his resemblance to Russian president Vladimir
Putin.
A Russian
law firm is reportedly drawing up legal action against the special effects
people who dreamt up Dobby, arguing that the ugly but caring elf has been
modelled on Mr Putin.
Click here for: Spell of Trouble for [Harry Potter's] Dobby (The London Evening
Standard, January 28, 2003)
National Association of Mold Professionals Offers Mold Inspection &
Remediation Certification Courses (Yahoo News - January 27, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prevent Toxic Mold from Spreading throughout Homes, Schools & Commercial
Buildings
WALLED
LAKE, Mich., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Mold Professionals
(NAMP) announced today, it's offering comprehensive mold inspection and
remediation certification classes throughout the year. The NAMP has decided to
provide an extensive two-day certification program due to the increasing
percentage of adverse health-related problems caused from mold exposure, and the
shortage of trained professionals in the mold inspection, testing, and cleanup
industries. The course is held once a month in Detroit, MI. For more information
on NAMP and its certification program, visit the website at http://www.moldpro.org
or call 248- 738-2127.
Click here for: National Association of Mold Professionals Offers Mold
Inspection & Remediation Certification Courses (Yahoo News - January 27, 2003)
Hyde Mulvihill APC
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Telephone: 877-267-9637 (877-cmsynergy) Los Angeles Office: (626) 358-7471 Fax:
(626) 358-2894
