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Monday Morning Mold October 4, 2004

Mold in the Media

October 4, 2004

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Mold Stories

-- Jury awards homeowner $556,000 in lawsuit over mold (Atlanta Journal Constitution (free subscription), GA - October 2, 2004)

-- Defense Verdict in Santa Ana, CA School Mold Case (San Jose Mercury News, CA - October 2, 2004)

-- Not a job for faint of heart (Newsday, NY - Oct 3, 2004)

-- Charley, Frances, Jeanne & Ivan Follow-Up: Residents Fighting Post-Jeanne Mold (WTEV, FL - Oct 1, 2004)

-- Airtight homes eyed as mold issues grow - Some say energy- efficient construction, popular since the '70s, is the culprit. Others say homeowner habits cause the problem. (Los Angeles Times (free subscription), CA - Oct 3, 2004)

-- More Nancy Davis: Mold sufferer turned activist returns from D.C., auction pending

-- Mold Education: Mycotoxins - Navy Environmental Health Center

-- Court Mold: 'Doc' Hill Says Town Manager Kept Him Out Of The Loop (Caledonian Record, VT - Sep 30, 2004)

-- Mold, rats and crowding plague school (Hattiesburg American, MS - Oct 3, 2004)

-- Mold & Insurance: Florida hurricanes show how insurers really work (Boston Herald, United States - Oct 2, 2004)

-- For Fun: Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam

Dear C,

I'm still calling this week's issue "Monday Morning Mold" even though it is going out on Tuesday evening. I started a trial yesterday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pasadena and spent the weekend preparing for it. The mold had to wait, especially since my trial is on a non-mold related business dispute. It resumes again on Thursday in Department S if anyone wants to drop by.

Once again, Nancy Davis is back in the news (see Article 6). Her mold- infested condominium is about to be auctioned off, despite promises from Washington Mutual. Ms. Davis has started a non-profit organization to help families forced out of their homes by mold problems replace belongings. I'm giving the ninth article in the newsletter an Eats, Shoots and Leaves award. The title, from the Hattiesburg American, is Mold, rats and crowding plague school.

Jury awards homeowner $556,000 in lawsuit over mold (Atlanta Journal Constitution (free subscription), GA - October 2, 2004)

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Less than a year after moving into her Buckhead home, Lyall Sailor was struck by a series of mysterious illnesses. Sinus problems, respiratory infections, frequent headaches and nosebleeds. Her skin itched like crazy, and her hair started falling out.

Sailor says she was tested for lupus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and other conditions. She tried several doctors and alternative therapies. Nothing worked.

Defense Verdict in Santa Ana, CA School Mold Case (San Jose Mercury News, CA - October 2, 2004)

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SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Jurors decided mold in a teacher's portable classroom didn't cause her respiratory problems. Fourth-grade teacher Denise Byrd, 49, filed suit against the Santa Ana Unified School District in March 2003 claiming the district was partly to blame for her illness because it failed to move her to another room at Jefferson Elementary School.

Jurors rejected that claim on Thursday. Some jurors said afterward that they sympathized with Byrd and felt the district was remiss in not making efforts to accommodate the 15-year teacher. But they decided there wasn't enough evidence to connect Byrd's health to the mold.

Not a job for faint of heart (Newsday, NY - Oct 3, 2004)

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If blood is spilled somewhere in New York City, Ron Gospodarski often will pay a visit.

He might arrive a few hours or a month after the fact, stepping off a defunct red-and-white city ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and a powder- blue protective suit.

Charley, Frances, Jeanne & Ivan Follow-Up: Residents Fighting Post-Jeanne Mold (WTEV, FL - Oct 1, 2004)

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The busy hurricane season drenched the First Coast, causing many headaches for homeowners, and opening the door for a serious side affect. Mold.

Many mold restoration companies have found themselves working overtime in an attempt to get ahead of the mold problem before it gets out of control. Micro-scope Mold Restoration alone is suiting up crews in many parts of Florida's East Coast. But for large projects, bringing in the experts could cost thousands of dollars. Although, most companies do offer free estimates.

Airtight homes eyed as mold issues grow - Some say energy- efficient construction, popular since the '70s, is the culprit. Others say homeowner habits cause the problem. (Los Angeles Times (free subscription), CA - Oct 3, 2004)

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Memories of the oil embargo three decades ago that produced long lines at gas stations have been short- lived for Southern Californians who still love to drive gas-guzzling cars. But those days did spur energy conservation changes in residential construction that remain today.

Since the 1970s, homes have been built increasingly airtight to save on gas and electricity. Some observers, however, believe the practice has increased problems with indoor air quality and resulted in higher incidences of household mold. But not everyone links the increase in mold concerns to building practices. Also on the list of potential culprits are certain building materials and the habits of homeowners themselves.

More Nancy Davis: Mold sufferer turned activist returns from D.C., auction pending

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PEPPERELL -- Former Shawnee Road resident Nancy Davis arrived back in Pepperell from Washington, D.C. Sunday, tired from a week-long lobbying campaign for mold protection legislation and in possession of a new title, that of executive director of Mold Relief Inc. (www.moldrelief.org)

Mold Education: Mycotoxins - Navy Environmental Health Center

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While we are familiar with a few mycotoxins that cause adverse health effects and even death in humans, other toxins are poorly understood. We do not know the synergistic effects of exposure to multiple mycotoxins simultaneously, nor do we understand mycotoxin degradation and possible by- products. Further, the amount of mycotoxin needed to elicit an effect varies among people (due to differing levels of sensitivity), as well as among the toxins themselves (differences in potency).

Aflatoxin - Aflatoxin is one of the most potent carcinogens known to man and has been linked to a wide variety of human health problems. It is also mutagenic, hepatotoxic, cytotoxic, and tremorgenic (compounds capable of producing serious muscle tremor and/or seizures in vertebrates). The FDA has established maximum allowable levels of total aflatoxin in food commodities at 20 parts per billion. The maximum level for milk products is even lower at 0.5 parts per billion. Aflatoxin is produced by Aspergillus, particularly the species flavus, parasiticus, and sometimes fumigatus, and is usually associated with cultivation of maize and peanuts in warm, moist, climactic conditions. However, the culprit species are not usually found in indoor environments or associated with building materials.

Court Mold: 'Doc' Hill Says Town Manager Kept Him Out Of The Loop (Caledonian Record, VT - Sep 30, 2004)

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LITTLETON NEW HAMPSHIRE Health Officer Richard "Doc" Hill berated Town Manger Jason Hoch Wednesday for what he called a lack of communication.

At a selectmen's meeting, Hill claimed he was not informed of ongoing events related to Saranac Street sewage spills occurring Aug. 30, and the resulting sewage contamination of two residences.

Mold, rats and crowding plague school (Hattiesburg American, MS - Oct 3, 2004)

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SUMRALL - With one of the problems facing Sumrall Elementary School being overcrowding, many other concerns hinder teachers and students each day. Karen Loftin, a fifth-grade teacher, stuffs a steel wool sponge in a hole in her wall to keep rats from entering the building.

She said she is sometimes reluctant to turn on her air conditioning because of the unit's noise. Instead, students sit underneath a couple of old brown ceiling fans.

Mold & Insurance: Florida hurricanes show how insurers really work (Boston Herald, United States - Oct 2, 2004)

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So far, New England has lucked out this hurricane season. But just in case Mother Nature kicks up a fuss off our shores, be prepared to deal with your insurance company.

You can take your cue from what happened to people in Florida. Many have been hit by four storms this year. Stuart M. Address, a lawyer with Rubin & Rubin, Stuart, Fla., says he's expecting to be deluged by disgruntled insurance policyholders soon in the wake of the hurricanes.

For Fun: Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam

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The US Forest Service provides this webcam, focused on Mt. St. Helens. Darn it, it's only updated every five minutes and does not live stream.

Monday Morning Mold Archives

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·  Hyde Mulvihill APC

·  Monday Morning Mold Archives - 2004

·  Monday Morning Mold Archives - 2003

Contact Information

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email: cmulvihill@cmsynergy.com

phone: 626-358-7471

web: http://www.cmsynergy.com/California/California%20Law%20Firms/cynthia_coulter_mulvihill.htm