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Toxic
mould infects homes,
triggers allergic reactions
The
lack of a city housing code has many students bearing responsibility for
removing household mould.
- October 28, 2003,
By:
Ali Shaughnessy
Senior News Reporter
http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/28/3f9e960124a79
Mould may have brought medical miracles with the creation of
penicillin in 1938, but now it is bringing sickness to University
students as it infects homes throughout Eugene.
Dan Stih, a Healthy Living Spaces LLC certified microbial
consultant, said Eugene gets a double whammy when it comes to mould
because of the moisture both inside and outside. And while outside
mould may not affect people, Stih said students and community
members need to be increasingly wary of mould living indoors.
"Technically, all molds produce toxins," he said.
However, researchers have found that mould is more likely to
produce toxins indoors because it has to work harder to survive.
Senior Nick Taylor said he lived in a "moldy apartment" his
sophomore year. Although he and his roommate tried to wash off the
mould, Taylor said he still felt continuously sick while living in
the apartment.
"It was a never-ending cold," he said.
According to a study done by the New York City Department of
Health, mould can commonly cause allergic reactions with symptoms
ranging from a runny nose or eye irritation to congestion and
coughing.
University Health Center Director Thomas Ryan said about 5
percent of the population is allergic to mould and might experience
these symptoms. He added that in more serious cases there may be
memory loss, headache or difficulty concentrating, but there is no
proven causal link between the symptoms and the mould.
Stih said it is fairly easy for mould to grow indoors, as long
as there is moisture in the environment. Places where mould can
grow more easily include leaks around a toilet seal, under wet
carpet, leaky plumbing in sinks or showers and underneath kitchen
sinks.
C. Eric Devin, co-chairman of OSPIRG's Renters' Rights
Campaign, blames the mould problem on Eugene's failure to institute
a housing code.
"I am outraged that these conditions exist anywhere in Oregon,
especially Eugene," Devin said. "However, Eugene's lack of a
housing code is a major barrier in making sure that housing
standards are upheld."
Until a housing code is implemented, many students will bear
the responsibility of removing mould from their residences.
The Environmental Protection Agency Web site suggests people
get rid of mould with a cleaning detergent and water mixture. Stih
recommended borax and water, and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention Web site recommends mixing bleach with water.
The CDC Web site also advises people to keep the humidity level
in a house below 50 percent, use an air conditioner or
dehumidifier during humid months, use mould inhibitors that can be
added to paints and clean bathrooms with mould-killing products.
For those not comfortable with cleaning mould on their own,
contractors such as Healthy Living Spaces are available.
Contractors will also do initial mould checks, Stih said.
Mould link to disease
-
14 February 2003,
Daily
Express
A brief article warns that a toxic mould
described as the 'asbestos of the 21st century' could be growing
in more than three million UK homes, according to experts. The
greenish-black mould, called stachybotrys chartarum, grows in damp
dark areas and on materials such as wood and plasterwork. The
mould is linked to lung disease and can exacerbate asthma,
bronchitis, hay fever and allergies.
Breaking the Winter Mould
–
April 4, 2003,
(HealthScout News)
Rainy days may get some people down, but if you're
among the many who are allergic to mould, wet or humid weather can
compound your misery. With winter just around the corner, here are some
simple precautions that can protect those who are allergic to spores.
>> continue reading =>>
Mould In Home May Mean
Baby Breathing Problems
High fungus levels in the home can cause
breathing problems, even pneumonia, for infants, new research suggests.
Full story... |
Mould
spore - the real culprit
Mould are fungi that come in a variety of species and live both indoors
and outdoors in dark, damp or wet places. The real culprits are mould
spores - tiny bacteria produced by mould that become airborne or
water-borne.
As many as 250 000 spores could fit on the head of a
pin. In heavily contaminated areas, a person might breathe in as many as
750 000 spores per minute, according to the US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Serious symptoms
If you're mildly allergic to moulds, symptoms can include nasal
stuffiness, eye irritation or wheezing. Among those who are more seriously
allergic, however, symptoms can include fever and shortness of breath.
Prolonged exposure to mould in certain occupational
settings, such as farms, is a particular concern. Farm workers
continuously exposed to moldy hay, for instance, can develop a condition
called Farmer's Lung, which causes fatigue, a chronic cough and other
symptoms, says the CDC.
What can you do?
If you find you are sensitive to mould, experts advise avoiding places
outside that might have high levels of mould, such as wooded areas,
compost piles, hay bales or cut grass.
Indoors, you can take steps to decrease mould exposure
by keeping humidity levels below 40 percent. Ventilate showers and cooking
areas, and try using a bleach solution of one cup of bleach in one gallon
of water to clean areas where there may be mould growth.
Toxic mould present in a
quarter
of
UK
properties
- October/November, 2003.
http://www.estatesreview.com/maindetail.aspx?codep=412
Insurers and homeowners could face significantly clean
up costs as a result of research by the RICS which suggests that a toxic
form of mould could be present in a quarter of UK residential properties,
warns Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC), the leading insurance law firm.
Toxic mould, known as Stachybotrys Chartarum, is believed to cause cancer,
asthma bronchitis and other allergies and has already triggered a wave of
multi-million-dollar claims in the United States.
RPC says that other non toxic forms of mould are commonplace in UK
properties where the presence of water is a widespread problem. Mould
often grows unseen behind walls and under floorboards but is frequently
tolerated because it is not seen as a danger to health.
Comments Robert Hogarth, partner of Reynolds Porter Chamberlain: “The
increased perception that mould and damp conditions can now present a
serious threat to health may persuade property owners to remove the mould
where in the past they would not have done so.
“The costs associated with surveying and removing toxic mould are likely
to be significant. Insurers that have not yet written exclusion clauses
for toxic mould into their policies should consider doing so.”
Commercial property
According to RPC, only some commercial property insurance policies wholly
exclude the costs associated with removing and repairing damage caused by
mould.
“Whether insurers or landlords pay for the clean-up of commercial
buildings could be a potential source of conflict,” said Mr Hogarth.
RPC also points out that if toxic mould is discovered in a place of work
employees might have reasonable grounds to refuse to work there while the
building is detoxified. The cost of relocating workers and disruption to
business could be significant.
For surveyors, the discovery of toxic mould in the UK could have a serious
impact on professional indemnity premiums.
Said Mr Hogarth: “In the future surveyors may need to check buildings for
the presence of toxic mould. Surveyors could be sued for diminution of
value if they fail to detect harmful contaminants. ”
Resi dential
property
RPC says that homeowners are unlikely to be able to claim for survey or
clean-up costs associated with toxic mould or sue architects or developers
for building defects which permit mould to grow.
“Nearly all home insurance policies specifically exclude mould. Claims for
repairs against architects and developers in relation to speculative
housing are likely to be successful if brought more than six years after
the housing is built.” said Mr. Hogarth. |
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You can also email pictures of your mold problems in
jpeg file format as email attachments. |
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