Mold growth has smothered common sense

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COMMENTARY: MIKE THOMAS

Mold growth has smothered common senseMike July 3, 2003We have mold in the company cafeteria.They put chains on the door lest someone go in there and be exposed to the spores and sneeze. It looks like Chernobyl.Now we will pay experts in "mold remediation" a bucket of money to remediate the mold. Basically they seal off the place and treat it like hazardous waste.Five years ago, we would have sent someone in with a bucket of bleach water. Back then, it was called "mold and mildew." Like roaches, we learned to live with it.That's before "toxic" mold hysteria set in. It pretty much began in 2000 when a woman in Texas got a $32 million judgment, later reduced to $4 million, because her insurance company didn't clean up her house mold. She claimed the mold then caused her son to spit up blood and her husband to suffer memory loss and lose his job.A particular form of black mold even was dubbed "killer mold."This year, former Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon got a $7.2 million settlement because mold in his California mansion allegedly killed his dog and made him and his wife sick.Mold claims and lawsuits have ballooned as lawyers have seen the potential for big verdicts and homeowners have come down with severe cases of hypochondria and have looked for someone to blame. This is not to say mold can't be a problem for a small minority of people, but those cases usually involve little more than classic allergy symptoms.But the insanity is out of the bag.Like asbestos, toxic mold has created a cottage industry of cleanup companies and legal specialists.Fearing a mountain of claims and lawsuits, insurance companies have sought legislative relief. Congress is contemplating the U.S. Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act, which, among other things, would determine just how toxic is toxic mold.Even attorney "needless pain and suffering" is in on it."If you feel you have been a victim of toxic mold contamination, fill out our case request form for a FREE evaluation," states his Web site.The Florida insurance industry had 37 mold claims in 2000, more than 300 in 2001 and more than 900 in 2002.Where does this stop in a state with our heat, humidity and 52 inches of annual rainfall?It isn't a huge insurance problem here yet. But the industry envisions another Hurricane that causes massive water damage and a mountain of mold claims.State Farm is pushing a plan with state regulators to charge an added fee for mold coverage.The Florida Farm Bureau Insurance limits mold coverage in homeowner policies to one-time payouts of $10,000 per claim with a limit of $20,000 per policy period.We have gone from malpractice caps to mold caps.I don't doubt mold can be a problem, particularly for immune-depressed people. But it is being blown far out of proportion to the threat.That's what happens when we replace common sense with lawyers and insurance companies.I can see the day when half-million-dollar homes are rendered worthless with a diagnosis of toxic mold. And you can bet that just about every house in Florida has mold somewhere.Now, if you'll excuse me, they're serving lunch in the big white tents in the parking lot.Mike can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@....

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