Bianca Jagger spreads the word about mycotoxins

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http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/10915.htm

November 16, 2003 -- There's something creepy going on in the city: Mold has become an epidemic. Complaints about fungus growth in city buildings are at an all-time high, and mold insurance claims are skyrocketing. Those who test for mold say they are busier than ever. "Three years ago, if we did a couple [mold jobs] a year, that was a nice curiosity. Now, we're doing three or four a day," said one contractor. Mold doesn't discriminate either, impacting chic apartments on Park Avenue as well as public housing, including the Amsterdam Houses on the West Side, legal documents show. Bianca Jagger's $20 million suit against her landlord at 515 Park Ave. charges that her moldy apartment caused her severe health problems, including headaches, upper respiratory problems, a hacking cough and watery eyes. "There is an epidemic of toxic mold throughout the country," Jagger said. "What is most alarming, though, is there is no state or federal legislation to penalize people who cause these problems."

Mold complaints to the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development increased from about 590 a month last year to 670 a month this year. And the Health Department logged a whopping 300 percent increase in complaints in the last 18 months - from 569 in fiscal year 2001 to 2,314 so far this year. Unresolved insurance claims for mold-related cases have also increased in the New York metropolitan area - from about 1,600 in December of last year to 3,191 as of last week - according to Policyholders of America, a Texas-based consumer advocacy group. Experts cite several reasons for the increase, including underqualified contractors who don't know how to avoid water leaks during construction; the growing use of new building materials that are susceptible to mold; and airtight buildings with dirty ventilation systems. There are more than 1,000 different mold strains sprouting in damp spots in homes and businesses across the city, but only a few of them are considered harmful. Health problems range from allergic reactions to more unsubstantiated toxic effects like memory loss and bleeding lungs. A lack of medical research into the effects of mold on humans makes most lawyers extremely reluctant to take on personal-injury lawsuits based on mold. But building owners, contractors and real-estate brokers are being sued, said Sitomer, a partner in the environmental law firm of Sitomer & Hogan in Manhattan and a leading mold attorney in the city. "They are all targets of litigation right now," he said. In New York, mold cleanup is only covered by insurance if it results from a covered claim, such as a burst pipe. Water-damage claims have increased by $5,000 to $7,000 per claim over the last year because of mold cleanup expenses, say insurers. "We'll see an increase in the cost of homeowner's insurance next year" because of mold, said Curt Gosda, a State Farm claims manager in New York. The city Department of Health attributes much of the increase in complaints to greater awareness of the problem, but said unless building owners and contractors take mold more seriously, it will not be solved. "You have to focus on preventing water problems in buildings," said D', a department research scientist.