Mold spreads misery

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Dec 14, 11:13 PM

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryN1215MOLD.htm

Mold spreads misery

Spores sicken hurricane victims, ruin homes months after storms

BY RICK NEALE

FLORIDA TODAY

MELBOURNE -- The little hand-painted sign on 's house

says " Home Sweet Home. " But it's wise to stay away.

coughs in the kitchen of her Melbourne home. She

sprays a disinfectant around the house to try and get rid of the

mold. she

says she has a cough, is congested and has headaches because of the

mold. Image by , FLORIDA TODAY

Mold and mildew lurk inside.

Lime-green stains are seeping through the grain of her wood-paneled

walls,

marring her work office. Black smears streak the closet floor in her

6-year-old daughter's bedroom -- was sick for weeks. And

the

upstairs ceiling keeps sagging lower and lower, weighted by the wet,

raggedy insulation beneath the leaking roof.

" I hack all day long, all night, like a 90-year-old man dying of

cancer, "

described. " My lungs are so sore. You have a sore chest

constantly. And your throat's sore from spitting up mucus. "

Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne battered 's Highland Estates

house

into a haven of fungus. Unfortunately, like who-knows-how-many

others

across Brevard County, her mold woes weren't easily fixed. She

couldn't

hire a roofer until last week because her insurance checks were

delayed.

So water and moisture continued to infiltrate her home, fostering

mold

growth months after the storms.

" I just bought the house. I'm a single mom. I'm barely paying the

bills, " she

said. " We've been sick four to six weeks. I get nauseous at times. "

wages war against the spore invasion. Armed with a bottle of

fungicide, she sprays interior walls and ceilings every day.

Upstairs, a

dehumidifier-air conditioner runs constantly -- " if I turn it off,

you won't be

able to breathe, " she warned.

Statistics unavailable

So how many Brevard County residents suffered mold-damaged homes

during this summer's rash of hurricanes?

sprays a disinfectant on the walls and ceiling of the

bedroom of her Melbourne home. She said the ceiling panels are

drooping

because of the insulation over them, which has gotten wet and moldy.

Image by , FLORIDA TODAY

Good question.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency does not keep statistics on

Florida's post-hurricane mold problems, spokeswoman Pierce

said.

Neither does the Florida Department of Health, said spokeswoman

Hodges, though the agency does conduct individual mold consultations

and inspections. , county environmental health

services

manager, estimated the number of mold victims in sweeping

terms: " most

of the population of Brevard. "

" It's a real pain in the neck. There's no real good answer to your

question, "

said.

By today FEMA hoped to have 900 temporary trailers and mobile homes

set up in Brevard County for residents with ruined homes, spokesman

Brad Gair said.

Children, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems

are

most vulnerable to mold-caused sickness, said Arvind Dhople,

biological

sciences professor at Florida Institute of Technology.

" Mold can be just like bacteria -- pathogenic or nonpathogenic, "

Dhople

said " In some cases, (mold) is completely harmless. But there are

some

molds that release chemicals which might be harmful. "

Insurance available

Bill is director of the Hurricane Insurance Information

Center. He

said 's plight, like those of others battling mold across

Florida,

represents sporadic, case-by-case situations -- not a large block of

insurance claims.

Mold growing on a ceiling tile. Image by EPA

" We're just not hearing 'mold.' We're just not hearing that term

being

used, " he said.

In years past, said Florida mold coverage was excluded from

homeowners insurance policies. Today, coverage is typically included

with

a $10,000 cap, he said.

Mold insurance is available for up to $50,000 in damages, for added

premiums.

To qualify for coverage, said household mold must originate

from a

source of insured loss, such as water damage. This damage must have

arisen by sudden, accidental means.

" It can't be one of these maintenance deals where you've got water

seepage

and you notice mold six months later, " he said.

Wearing a mask

Three days after Hurricane Frances, Melbourne resident Laurie Testa

said

she was sickened by black, furry mold beneath her window at the

Hampton

Greens apartments. She has a history of asthma attacks, and she went

to

the hospital for breathing problems.

" It's like when your friends get together and hold you down and you

can't

catch your breath, " she said. " It feels like someone is just

squishing you,

and you can't get your air in. "

Testa even occasionally wore a ventilator mask, as she did during

the 1998

wildfires. She moved out and is now involved in a lease dispute --

but she

still hasn't found a permanent home.

" Every Sunday, I look in the paper, " Testa said.

For mold information, call the Florida Department of Health Indoor

Air

Toxics Hotline at 1-800-543-8279 or visit www.doh.state.fl.us

FEMA's Florida Hurricane Housing Hotline is 1-888-472-1727.

Contact Neale at 242-3638or rneale@...

How to check for mold

Search for stains or fuzzy growths on walls, ceilings, building

materials,

furniture and other surfaces. Colors include black, brown, gray,

green,

white and yellow.

Look for water stains or signs of moisture.

Inspect coils, drain pans and lines in air conditioners and

furnaces.

Beware of musty or earth-like odors.

-- Source: Florida Department of Health

How to clean mold

Throw out porous materials including wallboard, rotten wood and

paper.

Scrub using a cleaning pad and non-ammonia soap or detergent in hot

water.

Dry thoroughly.

Disinfect with a 10 percent bleach solution.

-- Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Mold safety tips

Consider wearing gloves, goggles and an N-95 particle respirator

while

cleaning mold. People with heart disease or chronic lung disease

should

not use a respirator.

Don't clean mold if you have asthma or similar allergies.

Don't mix disinfectants and cleaners.

Supply fresh air by opening windows and doors.

-- Source: Florida Department of Health