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Monday Morning Mold December 13, 2004

Mold in the Media

December 13, 2004

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Mold Stories

-- Envirosurf(Trademark) Recommends All-Around Home Mold Inspection and Testing (Emediawire, WA - Dec 9, 2004)

-- Mold over: Natick home finally demolished after nearly 2 years of infestation (MetroWest Daily News, MA - Dec 9, 2004)

-- Farmers Agrees To Texas Home Rate Cuts (National Underwriter, NJ - Dec 8, 2004)

-- Builder of judicial center received bonus for its work - Firm back in Charleston to fix mold problem found in wall (Charleston Post Courier (free subscription), SC - Dec 10, 2004)

-- Parents Worry About Toxic Mold In Classrooms (WPBF Channel.com, FL - Dec 9, 2004)

-- Former tenants sue city - Government called slumlord (Los Angeles Daily News, CA - Dec 7, 2004)

-- Mold Education: Fungal Names and Synonyms

-- Court Mold: Duplin borrows $1.5 million for courthouse repairs (Goldsboro News Argus, NC - Dec 8, 2004)

-- School Mold: Plantsville parent: School still making children sick (New Britain Herald, CT - Dec 11, 2004)

-- Mold & Insurance: Know what your policy includes - Recent disasters should spur homeowners to take a look at their insurance coverage. (The Free Lance-Star, VA - Dec 8, 2004)

-- Mold & Insurance: Slow, small payouts leave hurricane victims in lurch (USA Today, VA - Dec 8, 2004)

-- Mold & Litigation: Court may revisit subcontractor issue (Charleston Post Courier (free subscription), SC - Dec 10, 2004)

-- More Mold & Insurance: State Farm must get rate change OK (San Antonio Express (free subscription), TX - Dec 8, 2004)

-- Mold & Technology: New Coating Resists Mold in Home and Building Wall Cavities and Surfaces (Emediawire, WA - Dec 9, 2004)

-- EPA honors Pinellas County Schools for implementing Exemplary Indoor Air Quality Program ((U.S. EPA.gov) DC - Dec 7, 2004)

-- For Fun: Donald Rumsfeld Jokes (provided in honor of Spc. Thomas Wilson)

Dear C,

Good morning! It's been a busy week for mold, especially in the insurance industry.

This week's introductory photo is of Stachybotrys, from the astrogrphics.com Science and Technology Digital Image galleries website.

Envirosurf(Trademark) Recommends All-Around Home Mold Inspection and Testing (Emediawire, WA - Dec 9, 2004)

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Mabinay, Philippines (PRWEB) December 9, 2004 -- Envirosurf(Trademark), a global environmental search directory, recommends that homeowners, tenants, and employees do all-around home and workplace mold inspection and testing to learn if they are living or working in toxic mold.

Comprehensive mold inspection and testing are recommended if a resident or worker is experiencing possible mold health symptoms, or he can see or smell mold growth anywhere indoors, or if there have been water problems.

Mold over: Natick home finally demolished after nearly 2 years of infestation (MetroWest Daily News, MA - Dec 9, 2004)

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NATICK -- Plaid cushions, pastel curtains, a furnace and two floors of toxic mold crumbled to rubble yesterday when a demolition crew tore down a condemned Colonial destroyed by flooding last year.

"Don't wreck my stairs," developer Rick Connors yelled out as a crew from Atlantic North Waste Systems of Holliston jabbed the 4-year-old house at 123A Bacon St. with the claw of an excavator.

Farmers Agrees To Texas Home Rate Cuts (National Underwriter, NJ - Dec 8, 2004)

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NU Online News Service, Dec. 8, 1:30 p.m. EST- The Texas Department of Insurance and Los Angeles- based Farmers Insurance Group have reached an agreement that ends their extended wrangling over homeowners insurance rates.

Texas Commissioner Jose Montemayor said the agreement calls for rate reductions of 5 percent for all current and new policyholders and freezes any increases for at least 18 months.

Builder of judicial center received bonus for its work - Firm back in Charleston to fix mold problem found in wall (Charleston Post Courier (free subscription), SC - Dec 10, 2004)

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An Alabama construction firm that built the Charleston County Judicial Center, a building now found to have a mold problem and leaks, received about a $636,000 bonus for the quality of its work and management of the project two years ago.

County officials said Thursday that the building, which has leaked since it opened, developed the mold problem during this year's busy hurricane season when improperly installed flashing allowed high winds to blow water into the building. Moisture produced mold in five judges' chambers along the building's north wall.

Parents Worry About Toxic Mold In Classrooms (WPBF Channel.com, FL - Dec 9, 2004)

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Some St. Lucie County parents believe their children are getting mysteriously ill because the schools reopened too quickly after this year's hurricanes.

Parents said at a meeting Wednesday night they don't believe proper mold testing was done to guarantee a safe environment for their children.

Former tenants sue city - Government called slumlord (Los Angeles Daily News, CA - Dec 7, 2004)

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BURBANK -- Former residents of a rundown apartment complex that Burbank acquired in order to make repairs have sued city government, claiming it neglected the project and forced them to suffer from toxic mold and other hazards.

City officials expect municipal government to spend $13 million on improvements to the apartments at 1801-1819 Grismer Ave. and other nearby units acquired last year. The lawsuit by former residents of three units claims the city has made only minor improvements, becoming "new slumlord owners and operators."

Mold Education: Fungal Names and Synonyms

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This is an index to current and obsolete fungus names. There is an index is organized by genus name and a separate version organized by species name. Clicking on the genus name will take you to a page showing the various synonyms of its associated species. Along with each genus, you will also find indications of its current status as legal fungal name, its form classification (mould or yeast), its sexual group (Ascomycete, Basidiomycete, Zygomycete, or Fungi Imperfecti), whether it is usually considered to be dematiaceous or a dermatophyte, and a link to our detailed mycology page for this fungus (if available). Here is an example:

Stachybotrys species.

Court Mold: Duplin borrows $1.5 million for courthouse repairs (Goldsboro News Argus, NC - Dec 8, 2004)

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KENANSVILLE -- Duplin County is borrowing up to $1.5 million to help pay for courthouse repairs that have been going on for the last year.

The county asked all of the banks to give their best rates, and Wachovia came up with a 2.85 interest rate. Duplin County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to borrow the money from Wachovia.

School Mold: Plantsville parent: School still making children sick (New Britain Herald, CT - Dec 11, 2004)

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SOUTHINGTON -- While school officials have taken steps to improve the cleanliness issues at Plantsville Elementary School, some parents are still relating their concerns to the Board of Education that not enough is being done to remedy the situation.

After a Plantsville student suffered an asthma attack at school in September, a study was conducted by the town health department in conjunction with Fred Cox, the school's operations administrator, to determine if there was a presence of mold within the school.

Mold & Insurance: Know what your policy includes - Recent disasters should spur homeowners to take a look at their insurance coverage. (The Free Lance-Star, VA - Dec 8, 2004)

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AS THE WIND howled and the debris flew, all Hazel Reynolds could do in her Bowling Green Meadows home was sit tight and wait it out.

"September 8th," she said, without hesitation, recalling the otherwise normal afternoon that quickly turned frightful. "It's just about all back together now." "It" is her house, among the many structures damaged in and around the Caroline County subdivision when the remnants of Hurricane Frances spawned twisters throughout the region.

Mold & Insurance: Slow, small payouts leave hurricane victims in lurch (USA Today, VA - Dec 8, 2004)

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MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. - This year's record- breaking Florida hurricane season is a distant memory for many Americans. They know this state was devastated by four major storms in just 44 days, but there's been a presidential election since then, plus the distractions of war and the holiday season. The country has moved on.

Not Wilson McCune. He hasn't been able to live in his house since Hurricane Frances smashed Florida Sept. 5. The retired pilot says he spends eight hours a day just trying to restore his life: Combing the state for available contractors. Scouring home-supply stores for materials. Waiting on hold endlessly for his insurance company.

Mold & Litigation: Court may revisit subcontractor issue (Charleston Post Courier (free subscription), SC - Dec 10, 2004)

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South Carolina's building industry was thrown into chaos by a state Supreme Court decision this summer in a 10-year-old lawsuit. Now it's hoping the high court will set straight what the industry says poses a huge threat to the construction trade.

The court will consider revisiting its ruling Tuesday, but the case already has thrown a number of construction-related civil cases into limbo. If left intact, the court's decision also has the potential to push smaller contractors out of business and drive up construction costs, while bringing into question who is ultimately financially liable for building defects.

More Mold & Insurance: State Farm must get rate change OK (San Antonio Express (free subscription), TX - Dec 8, 2004)

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State Farm insurance, the lone holdout in battling the state on last year's order to lower homeowner insurance rates to Texas consumers, is causing the state to impose further regulation.

An order by the Texas Department of Insurance requires State Farm, the largest writer of homeowners insurance in the state, to get state approval for any rate changes. Beginning this month, other insurance companies under laws passed last year can file rate changes with the state and start using them automatically if the state does not protest.

Mold & Technology: New Coating Resists Mold in Home and Building Wall Cavities and Surfaces (Emediawire, WA - Dec 9, 2004)

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"ForSite(Trademark) is being introduced at a time when many insurance companies offer terrorism coverage but will not insure against the extraordinary risk of mold. This is an indication of the serious liability risk mold and mildew poses and why this product is so timely," explains Bryan Redler, CEO, EnviroCare Corporation, whose company pioneered silver-based mold- resistant coating technology and remediation products with the earlier introduction of E-Coat (Trademark) for professionals.

ForSite(Trademark) may be applied in all wall cavities, usually at the dry-in stage before windows are installed, as well as on such porous surfaces as concrete where the mold can gain a foothold. ForSite(Trademark) may also be used in conjunction with mold remediation as a final step in restoring water-damaged building materials.

EPA honors Pinellas County Schools for implementing Exemplary Indoor Air Quality Program ((U.S. EPA.gov) DC - Dec 7, 2004)

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Atlanta, GA, December 6, 2004 --- Pinellas County Schools in Largo, Florida is among 12 schools and districts selected to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) 2004 Excellence Award to protect indoor air quality for kids at school. The award was presented at EPA's 5th Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium.

Florida's climate presents special challenges for IAQ, an issue with which Pinellas County Schools (PCS) is well aware. More than 10 years ago, a major mold outbreak in an elementary school caused an epidemic of bronchitis, headaches, and ear infections, forced the school to close for 18 months, and cost $1 million to repair. The school was only a year old at the time. Located in Florida's most densely populated county, PCS also faces tight budget constraints, and is forced to rely on temporary buildings. After the mold outbreak, PCS adopted a management plan and appointed a single coordinator to standardize responses to IAQ concerns. The emphasis is on prevention and prioritization. Integrated Pest Management, radon screening, and other procedures help to mitigate future problems. The district initially uses short-term fixes to address any problems that arise, and then seeks to identify long-term solutions.

For Fun: Donald Rumsfeld Jokes (provided in honor of Spc. Thomas Wilson)

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I'm posting this link in honor of Spec. Thomas Wilson, who asked why "do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles?" As a former soldier, I know that question took a lot of guts.

Monday Morning Mold Archives

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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