Mold's harm lurks

[Guest guest]

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20021006/frontpage/15236.shtml

Mold's harm lurks

Fungus is abundant and necessary in the Northwest, but too much in the wrong

place can make you sick

Donna Deese shows health inspectors a patch of mold that grew on the wall at

her Forest Glen apartment this summer. Deese and her roommates have since

moved to another apartment complex.

Photo by Tony Overman/The Olympian

Forest Glen residents have complained of a variety of illnesses, including

cough, bloody nose, flulike symptoms and rashes, like the one on

Mooney's leg that has developed since moving to the apartments. At left is

her 18-month-old son, Daunte.

Photo by Tony Overman/The Olympian

DEANA POOLE, AND PATRICK CONDON THE OLYMPIAN On the Web

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Mold Resources: www.epa.gov/iaq/

pubs/moldresources.html

Washington State Department of Health - Got Mold? Frequently Asked Questions

About Mold: www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/

IAQ/Got_Mold.html

Washington State Department of Health - Stachybotrys - Fact Sheet:

www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/

IAQ/Mold-Stachy-factsheet.DOC

Centers for Disease Control - Stachybotrys chartarum and other molds:

www.cdc.gov/nceh/

airpollution/mold/stachy.htm

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department:

www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/

Two weeks after Donna Deese moved into her Forest Glen apartment, she didn't

feel well.

Since she had recently moved from California, she shrugged it off as just

getting used to Washington weather. Then it got worse.

Chills and sweats, headaches and ear infections, burning of her lungs and

esophagus -- and those are just a few of her symptoms.

Test results last month confirmed her fears: She tested positive for mold

toxins.

" Doctors are apologizing to me left and right because they can't help me, "

said Deese, 55, who has battled mold throughout her Forest Glen apartment,

mainly in the kitchen and bedroom.

But Forest Glen, which has become a high-profile case because of

city-ordered inspections, isn't alone. Mold is reportedly showing up in

apartment complexes around the area, and it is a prime suspect in a rash of

indoor air quality problems at several state office buildings.

Mold is everywhere. And it can grow rapidly.

" If you don't like mold, you don't live in Washington state, " said Dr.

Yu, Thurston County health officer.

It's the moist climate that makes the Northwest the perfect breeding ground

for mold. It feeds on water, and takes less than three days to grow.

It's everywhere

Not all mold is bad, and mold is essential to the environment.

It's a fungus that helps recycle organic building blocks, allowing plants

and animals to live. Mold reproduces by making spores, which become

airborne. Touching it or inhaling it can expose people to its effects.

" Mold is universal on the planet, but we shouldn't live with it in our homes

or workplaces, " said Harriet Ammann, senior toxicologist at the state

Department of Health.

It's when mold starts to grow that this ordinarily helpful fungus becomes a

problem.

And it doesn't take much to make it grow.

" Mold needs constant moisture and it needs substrate to grow on, " Yu said.

" Basically, mold will grow on anything that's organic. "

That means particle board. Paper. Painted walls. Wood. Carpet. Sheet rock.

Leather. Cloth. You name it.

There are different types of molds, some of which are rather benign, like

the common bread molds -- the kind found on bread and other food that have

been sitting around long.

" Some are just ugly black, green mold on the wall, " Yu said.

And then there are the molds that produce toxic spores sometime in their

life span, either when they are growing or dying or, often, when you are

scrubbing them off.

The toxic mold, stachybotrys chartarum, has been the most widely publicized,

especially after 27 infants in Cleveland became sick and nine died of acute

pulmonary hemorrhage/hemosiderosis shortly after a flood in 1993.

Stachybotrys chartarum is a greenish-black fungus that often grows on

materials such as fiberboard, gypsum board, dust and lint, according to the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Health effects

The documented health problems associated with mold exposure fall into four

categories, Ammann said: allergy, infection, irritation and toxicity.

" The problem that we don't know about any of these four areas is how much it

takes to make people sick, " she said. " We don't know how yet to measure

exposure in any quantitative sense. "

Some people are very sensitive to molds and others aren't, said Sherri

Mc, Thurston County's public health director.

The most affected are people who already have immune deficiencies, Ammann

said.

The most common reaction to mold exposure is allergies. The most severe

cases can develop into asthma, she said.

It's uncommon for most people to get infections from molds that grow

indoors. However, types of Aspergillus molds can cause infections in the

skin, eyes, lungs or other organs.

Some types of molds can emit substances that can irritate eyes and nerve

endings.

Others produce toxins, which can cause maladies ranging from liver problems

to respiratory distress and infertility.

Standards

How much mold is unhealthy hasn't been determined.

There are no uniform indoor air quality standards for mold at the federal

level, but there is movement.

Several states -- including California, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and

land -- passed legislation last year to develop guidelines and

regulations on mold.

The moves have been criticized, as has " The Melina Bill " introduced by

Michigan congressman Conyers Jr. The bill is named for Melina Tumpkin,

9, the daughter of Conyers' Detroit office manager, who has been diagnosed

with mold-related illnesses.

His legislation, the U.S. Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act, would

require research into mold growth, create education programs, require mold

inspections in public housing and provide financial assistance to mold

victims.

Opponents of the legislation say scientific research is necessary before

health-based standards for mold can be established.

Ammann, who also sits on the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on the

Assessment of Asthma and Indoor Air, said because people's reactions to mold

exposure vary so much, it's difficult to establish a standard that is safe

for everyone.

Other effects

But health effects aren't the only reasons people worry about mold.

Home inspector Jim Vining is worried about what recent mold scares might

mean for his business.

" It's the same thing we went through with the asbestos panic a few years

ago, " said Vining, who owns Home Inspection Service in Lacey. " We had to go

in and pull the asbestos out of everybody's home. Now everybody's worried

about mold. "

Asbestos, though, was relatively easy to remove. Mold can often be hidden

away in the nooks and crannies of houses -- in attics and crawl spaces,

behind walls, and in other dark, secluded spots.

Word in his industry, Vining said, is that more and more potential

homebuyers are going to be demanding that prepurchase inspections identify

any mold in a home.

As is often the case, California is leading the way.

In June 2001, a homeowner in Dripping Springs, Calif., won a $32 million

jury award against her insurance company for mold damage in her home. Other

lawsuits have quickly followed.

Vining said a woman from California recently approached him. She was

planning to buy a house in the area and was looking for an inspector.

" The only thing she cared about was mold and mildew, " Vining said.

" Of course they're going to start blaming everything on it now, " Vining

said. " My kid can't concentrate, my back hurts -- it must be toxic mold. I'm

real concerned what my liability is as an inspector, because I can in no way

guarantee that a home is completely mold- and mildew-free. I'm afraid it's

going to be a lawyer's Disneyland. "

Home inspectors and real estate agents say homes and buildings have always

had mold.

" Of course it makes sense to check for it, " said Jan Henry, an Olympia

Realtor. " I don't blame anyone for wanting to know. "

The problem comes in establishing what is an acceptable level of

contamination.

" A lot of the older houses around here, they've had mold in them for 100

years, " Vining said. " It never made anyone sick. "

Steve Klaniecki, a spokesman for the Washington Association of Realtors,

said his industry still has questions as to whether mold is as much of a

threat as it's being billed in some circles.

" If there's visible signs of black mold in a house, it's certainly something

to take a look at and have tested and inspected, " Klaniecki said. " Whether

or not it has been proven that it is a toxic substance and as bad as the

media is making it out to be -- that's another question. "

No one seems to be quite sure yet what the ramifications could be for

inspectors, real estate agents or insurance companies in Washington -- the

state hasn't had the " one big case " yet. But groups such as the Association

of Realtors are watching litigation in other states for indications of how

it could play out here.

" I'm just really worried about it, " Vining said. " Maybe I'll just go work at

Burger King. "

Mold vs. mildew

What's the difference between mold and mildew? Not much.

" Both are sort of popular names for fungus, " said Dr. Harriet Ammann. " Sort

of like calling a plant a weed. There's really no difference between mold

and mildew. " They are just terms for fungi that are not mushrooms or yeast,

she said.

Warning signs

There are a few warning signs of mold to look for if you're buying a house

or renting an apartment:

- " The first thing to do is use your nose, " says Heinz, a local home

inspector. A strong musty smell is an indication that mold might be a

problem.

- A thorough visual inspection is a good idea. Keep an eye out especially

for water stains or for faucets and other fixtures that look as if they've

had leakage problems.

- Certain spots are more likely to be breeding grounds for mold, including

bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, attics, crawl spaces, closets

and windowsills. It's a good idea to check around washer/dryers and water

heaters, too.

Beware also if a room looks and smells new. It could be an attempt to cover

up recent mold problems.

Tips for your house

- Fix leaks and seepage. If water is entering the house from the outside,

your options range from simple landscaping to extensive excavation and

waterproofing. (The ground should slope away from the house.) Water in the

basement can result from the lack of gutters or a water flow toward the

house.

- Water leaks in pipes or around tubs and sinks can provide a breeding

ground for mold.

- Put a plastic cover over dirt in crawlspaces to prevent moisture from

coming in from the ground. Be sure crawlspaces are well-ventilated.

- Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens to move moisture outside, not

into the attic. Vent your clothes dryer to the outside.

- Turn off humidifiers or kerosene heaters if you notice moisture on windows

and other surfaces.

- Raise the temperature of cold surfaces where moisture condenses. Use

insulation or storm windows. (A storm window installed on the inside works

better than one installed on the outside.) Open doors between rooms

(especially doors to closets which may be colder than the rooms) to increase

circulation.

- Circulation carries heat to the cold surfaces. Increase air circulation by

using fans and by moving furniture from wall corners to promote air and heat

circulation. Be sure that your house has a source of fresh air and can expel

excessive moisture from the home.

- Pay special attention to carpet on concrete floors. Carpet can absorb

moisture and serve as a breeding ground. Use area rugs which can be taken up

and washed often. In certain climates, if carpet is to be installed over a

concrete floor, it may be necessary to use a vapor barrier (plastic

sheeting) over the concrete and cover that with subflooring (insulation

covered with plywood) to prevent a moisture problem.

Health symptoms

Common symptoms of mold allergies:

- Sneezing

- Chronic cough

- Runny nose

- Nasal congestion

- Itchy, watery eyes

- Skin rashes and hives

- Sinus headaches

- Reduced lung capacity and difficulty breathing

Reported symptoms of toxic mold exposure:

- Coughing up blood

- Nose bleeds

- Dizziness

- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

- Chest congestion

- Difficulty breathing

- Anemia

- Skin rashes

- Pulmonary hemorrhage

Resources

For more information:

- Call the Thurston County Health Department at 360-786-5581.

- Go online to www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ moldresources.html.

Related stories

Get rid of mold; keep it from returning

State workers complain of sick buildings