Toxic Mold letter

[Guest guest]

This was printed in today’s Barnstable (Massachusetts) Patriot newspaper.

Tackle toxic mold nationally

Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to a group of influential U.S.

Senators serving on the Senate’s Health, Finance and Judiciary Committee's.

It has been edited for length:

Honorable Senators,

I am writing to you because you represent the citizens of our Nation on

issues that affect us all. You decide what Laws will be enacted or changed that

will provide for a safer and more secure nation. It is for these reasons that

I must draw your attention to the catastrophic issue that confronts millions

of Americans today: toxic mold.

Toxic mold is a major health danger to all Americans. It is especially

dangerous to our most vulnerable – our children and the elderly. Sadly,

besides

being in our homes and where we work, it is also in many schools, nursing homes

and government-subsidized senior housing.

I first informed some of you about this issue on May 6, 2002. Before I even

became aware of the issues of toxic mold, I informed two House members of

reasons we now know contribute to the growth of these dangerous toxic molds.

This

1998 communication was submitted as a recommendation to a house Bill. Sadly,

nobody ever responded to either letter.

Since 1996, I have been contacted by many families in Massachusetts, and

later from across our nation, for help with issues concerning substandard and

illegal construction. This unsafe and illegal construction has been knowingly

allowed for far too long. It puts the life, health and safety of America in

danger. It is an epidemic.

Since becoming active, after discovering toxic mold in our home, I have

tried to enact legislation to help the citizens of Massachusetts. Sadly, the

State Legislature and governors have not found it an important enough issue to

discuss or pass legislation on. Any attempt at discussion is stymied and

frowned upon.

For the past few years, many national television and news outlets have

interviewed me about these issues. Some outlets filmed the devastation of the

toxic mold in our home while others showed our attempts to talk to

Massachusetts

state Legislators. CBS News even had people from across America contact me

on the issues of toxic mold after they did an Evening News story on toxic

mold.

Since early 2002, I contacted many members of the United States House and

Senate and White House on the issues of toxic mold and illegal and substandard

construction. Here, too, nobody has shown any interest in discussing this

Health epidemic that has swept across our Country.

Your help is needed on these two issues, National Construction Lemon Laws

and toxic mold. The construction issues are one of the main causes of this

dangerous toxic mold. Also, the failure of a national standard means that many

of

the federally insured construction loans and home mortgages are for

worthless, unsafe and unhealthy buildings. My estimate is that the amount of

Federally insured bad loans is in the over-200-billion-dollar range.

There is currently legislation by Congressman Conyers in the House that

is his attempt to deal with the toxic mold issue. In my opinion, it is too

weak. It forces the taxpayers to pay the cost for the insurance companies that

have failed to cover policies for toxic mold. It bails out insurance

companies that took our money and then refused to cover our damages.

My toxic mold legislation calls for the Government to issue Health and

safety guidelines to protect us. It also holds accountable those that are

responsible for many of the cases of toxic mold that have made families, like

mine,

homeless and forced to live in poverty. Is this the type of legacy we want to

pass on to future generations? I don’t, DO YOU?

Yours Truly,

Ken Moulton

Hyannisport and Lawton, Okla.

Ken Moulton may be reached at_ kenhmoulton@..._

(mailto:kenhmoulton@...) by anybody who wants a copy of the full unedited

letter, information on

toxic mold or a copy of his Legislation in Washington or on Beacon Hill.