Spots on home seem to be mold

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hendricks county

Spots on home seem to be mold

Airport officials say it's unlikely substance found on house came from passing plane.

By J. Matt

jeffrey.miller@...

July 2, 2003

Preliminary test results suggest a white substance found on a Hendricks County man's home is water-based mold.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority on Tuesday released preliminary results of its analysis of the substance, which Darryl Roach found on his home Sunday.

Although final test results aren't complete, airport officials said it's unlikely the substance came from an airplane.

"That would be basically impossible to have come from an aircraft," said airport spokesman Dennis Rosebrough.

Roach wasn't convinced.

"How can it get all over my house like that?" he said. "Where would water-based mold come from?"

Roach, who found the white drops on his home Sunday night, said he will call his attorney and let his insurance company handle cleanup of the white material, which he believes came from an airplane.

How the substance appeared on Roach's home remains a mystery. Rosebrough wouldn't speculate how it happened.

Steve Barton, environmental health specialist with the Hendricks County Board of Health, wouldn't guess where the substance had come from.

Barton has not participated in the investigation of Roach's home, but said most calls about mold come from people who find it inside their homes. Officials tell callers to clean it with water, detergent and bleach.

Most mold isn't harmful to health but could worsen allergies or diseases, according to the Indiana State Department of Health Web site. It should be cleaned as soon as it appears, the site said.

Call Star reporter J. Matt at 1-317-272-4408.