Mold Overtakes Apartment; Building May Be Condemned

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Mold Overtakes Apartment; Building May Be Condemned

Health Department Says Mold Must Be Cleaned Within One Day

POSTED: 4:49 p.m. EDT April 30, 2003

AKRON, Ohio -- The Akron City Health Department condemned one local apartment Wednesday, and if management doesn't clean it up by Thursday, officials said they will shut down the entire building.

View Moldy Apartment

Live On Five Investigator Jodi reported that the problem stems from mold along the bottom of the walls and growing through the carpet of an empty apartment at Waterford at Portage Trail.

"My gosh, that is awful and it smells terrible," said Rae-Lyn Curry, a resident of the apartment complex.

More mold appears to be living right next door. It lines the windowsill and grows in the deep corners of the closets.

In that apartment, young children stay with Janice Dove.

"Well, seeing, looking at that, I think I'm going to call and let them know it's really gross and something needs to be done about it," she said.

Mold is not hazardous for everyone, but it can worsen the conditions of people with asthma and hayfever. Also, overexposure can cause coughing, congestion, runny nose and eye irritation.

From the outside, the apartment complex appears to be relatively new and nice. It's run by a company in Texas. The company's corporate attorney, Jonathon Pearlman, commented on the situation.

"We keep and maintain our properties in top condition and you're certainly welcome to come check them anytime you want to, but we appreciate your interest," he said before hanging up.

Some molds can be cleaned with detergent or a soapy solution. People who choose this option should be sure to wear gloves and throw away any sponges or rags used.

But if mold is not cleaned, it gets worse by the day.

"That's terrible," Curry said. "These people, they moved out of here months ago. That should've been cleaned up by now. This has to be a health hazard; that's terrible."

The Health Department has given the apartment managers one day to get the apartment cleaned; otherwise, the whole building will be condemned.

Inspectors have not found the source of the mold, but the apartment manager said a water pipe broke and may have caused the damage. The water pipe has since been fixed.

Officials plan to go through every apartment in the complex and conduct thorough mold checks.

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