Developer Gail Byrne has become the first developer in St. Petersburg to incorporate mold prevention technology into the construction phase of a new 15 unit condominium development located in Treasure Island Florida.

As decisive as the upcoming presidential election, so is the issue of toxic mold. For every one person who feels that mold is harmful to your health, there is at least one person who says that it causes no adverse health effects. Whatever side of the issue you believe, mold still causes billions of dollars in property damage every year. Insurance companies are now limiting coverage or excluding mold coverage completely, leaving the homeowner responsible for the cost of mold removal.

Prosecutors leveling charges against Microb Phase Laboratories President Ronald Schongar, whose company sprayed a mystery agent in schools across the country as part of a mold remediation program, will state their case at a show cause hearing tentatively scheduled for Aug. 4.

Schongar, 58, of Clifton Park, N.Y., was charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and violations of the Federal Fungecide Insecticide and Rodenticide Act. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian E. Spears, who is prosecuting the case, said Tuesday that the hearing date is still tentative, but could not comment on the case itself.

7/30/04 - (HOUSTON) - More than two dozen Galveston County residents took their apartment complex to court over a nasty mold problem and won.

Twenty-eight people sued Bay Colony Apartment builders and won a judgment of $1.2 million. Just six months after the complex opened its doors in 2001, the mold took over.

In an effort to permanently rid two middle schools of mold, Washington Township voters are being asked to approve spending $10.5 million to replace the ventilation systems in those schools.

The Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to seek voter support in a referendum scheduled for Dec. 14.

DICKINSON - The attorney who won a total verdict of more than $1 million on behalf of 28 apartment- dwellers says the case could be an omen from things to come.

The jury in Galveston's 122nd State District Court rendered the verdict Friday, ending a two-week trial filed against the builders of the Bay Colony Apartments, a subsidized-housing complex on the Dickinson-League City line.

The Thomasville fabrics originally featured Crypton, Sunbrella, Microban and high-performance faux suedes such as Ultrasuede and Sensuede. But Microban, a moisture- and stain-repellent finish designed to resist the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew, was dropped after Thomasville learned that when certain treated rayons got wet, the color was released.

We pulled the Microban out of our stores," she says. "The majority of our swatches were rayon. If someone had an order in, we called them and told them it was no longer available."

Concern about indoor exposure to mold has increased along with public awareness that exposure to mold can cause a variety of health effects and symptoms, including allergic reactions. This safety and health information bulletin provides recommendations for the prevention of mold growth and describes measures designed to protect the health of building occupants and workers involved in mold cleanup and prevention. This bulletin is directed primarily at building managers, custodians, and others responsible for building maintenance, but may also be used as a basic reference for those involved in mold remediation. By reading this safety and health information bulletin, individuals with little or no experience with mold remediation may be able to reasonably judge whether mold contamination can be managed in-house or whether outside assistance is required.

The advice of a medical professional should always be sought if there are any emerging health issues. This document will help those responsible for building maintenance in the evaluation of remediation plans. Contractors and other professionals (e.g. industrial hygienists or other environmental health and safety professionals) who respond to mold and moisture situations in buildings, as well as members of the general public, also may find these guidelines helpful. The information in these guidelines is intended only as a summary of basic procedures and is not intended, nor should it be used, as a detailed guide to mold remediation. These guidelines are subject to change as more information regarding mold contamination and remediation becomes available.

Pete Dinelli has tramped through dilapidated buildings where trash heaps were stacked from floor to ceiling. Rat and roach infestations are not uncommon in his line of work.

But Dinelli, a deputy city attorney, was astounded by what he saw at an apartment complex in the South Valley in May. A hole had been punched through the front wall of one apartment and a water hose, attached to the kitchen sink, snaked out into the front yard.

AUSTIN - Texas homeowners are still paying the highest insurance rates in the nation, despite a legislative overhaul of the homeowners insurance industry last year and state ordered rate reductions.

But complaints about homeowners insurance companies have fallen significantly since 2002. And Texas homeowners should see some rate relief later this year when four insurance companies are due for a second round of rate reductions in August.

The Henry family, which has been embroiled in battle with the Spring-Ford Area School District over mold in the district's classrooms, has released their summary of the results of air quality testing performed at the Intermediate School on June 28.

The Henrys were allowed to take an air sample from Room 125, a modular classroom at the Intermediate School. As part of the agreement allowing the Henrys to perform the test, the district required the Henrys to provide the district with a split sample, or half of the air sample the Henrys planned to test. According to a statement released by the Henry family, "...the room contains unacceptable reservoirs of harmful bacteria, mold and yeast." The statement goes on to allege that the room was not properly maintained and sustained water damage.

The Mold Survival Guide for Your Home and for Your Health is a good follow-up to Jeffrey C. May's earlier book, My House is Killing Me! Mr. May's first book was about general house issues; the new book is about mold-specific issues. The new one is more scholarly book.

Like My House is Killing Me!, The Mold Survival Guide is organized so that it's easy to find what you are looking for. For homeowners looking for a quick guide, I recommend going to Part II - The Search for Mold first. It's divided into What Lurks Below; Mold in the Mechanicals; The Spaces We Live In; The Spaces We Don't Live In; and Testing for Mold. After that, go to Part I for general information on mold, and how mold affects health; then to Part III for Remediation.

Since the CDC IOM NPDP has designated mold in air systems a Level IV Contamination, I was especially happy to see the extremely thorough discussion of contamination issues in Chapter 6 Mold in the Mechanicals. There are details on how mold grows in systems used in hot, dry Arizona to mold in heating systems in very old homes. I read this chapter and went to Home Depot for new filters.

Connie May, Mr. May's wife and also an author of this book, specializes in 'translating' science for us non- scientists. I love the fact that the titles are friendly and informative. Thanks to both authors for avoiding swallowing a thesaurus and writing something boring like "Fungi - Interior Manifestation". Mr. May is getting a lot of air time with this book, so if I hear of any future programs he is on, I'll let folks know.

(CBS) A recent study by the Institute of Medicine found that household mold can cause coughing, wheezing and a number of respiratory problems, but said there was no evidence of a link to more serious issues, such as cancer and neurological problems. Still, the number of mold litigations is on the rise, and many people are convinced that mold is destroying their health.

"If you're sensitized to the mold then actually it is quite serious," says mold expert Jeffrey May, author of "The Mold Survival Guide," on The Early Show. "But very often people get upset by seeing just the mildew on a window. And some companies actually take advantage of that concern."

This is Jeffrey C. May's company, May Indoor Air Investigations LLC.

We are pragmatic scientists, building consultants, and indoor air quality professionals who investigate the causes of moisture, mold and indoor air quality problems in homes, schools and offices.

Introducing the NEW Stachybotrys Selective Agar for use in the selective isolation of Stachybotrys from environmental samples. Stachybotrys is the fungal organism that is known for causing problems in moist areas of homes and buildings. It has been known to grow well on damp wallboard and produces toxins that cause respiratory problems and a host of other symptoms.

This new media manufactured by Hardy Diagnostics consists of a Potato Dextrose Agar base medium with proprietary selective agents. The selective agents inhibit bacteria and most other types of fungi that grow on environmental surfaces. This is needed, since Stachybotrys is usually crowded out on a non- selective medium.

In case you are one of the three people in this country that haven't taken a look at this bipartisan send-up of Bush and Kerry in a mini-movie, do it now. I first heard about it from a friend from Canada. Looking at JibJab's blog, it looks like those Canadians were doing the best job of publicizing the movie until the media picked up on it. It takes a few minutes to download (3 minutes on my DSL connection; 15 minutes on a 56K modem, according to someone on the blog), but it's definitely worth the time.

Even if you've seen it, see it again - you've probably missed a lot of subtle jokes. For example, Dr. Steven Hawking attends Bush cabinet meeting. The guys that created this are "pinko Commies" at a Kerry anti-war rally. And gas prices in one scene start at $8.95 a gallon.