Household mold can make people sick

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Article Display Date: 08/27/2005 01:00:00 AM

Household mold can make people sick

Chuck Mueller, Staff Writer

http://www2.sbsun.com/news/ci_2977588

San Bernardino,CA

SILVER LAKES - When Kinsella woke up one morning gasping for

air, he had no idea that a leak in a bathroom shower was about to

turn his life around.

" I had never been sick in my life,' said the 55-year-old building

contractor and former Army helicopter pilot. " I didn't know what was

wrong. But I knew it was serious.'

And serious it was. A laboratory report revealed the shower stall in

the three-bedroom home contained toxic black stachybotrys mold,

which medical studies link to fatal pulmonary disorders.

" Lab tests showed 40,000 parts of mold spores per cubic meter of

air, or 40 times the outside air count for all molds,' said

certified mold inspector Joe Crotinger, co-owner of Oak Hills-based

California Water & Mold Specialists. " This level has the definite

potential to be a health threat to anyone.'

In August 2004, four months after renting the house in Silver Lakes,

Kinsella began to suffer headaches, watery eyes and ongoing

breathing difficulties. A physician at the Loma Veterans

Hospital prescribed antibiotics and an inhaler.

The doctor's diagnosis revealed that Kinsella had asthma and

bronchitis. " I was shocked,' he said. " I never had either before.'

Using his builder's acumen, he inspected the house which he shares

with Lori Norick, 47, a property investor and discovered that the

grouting in the master shower was changing colors.

" It was changing from dark to light colors, and kept expanding,'

Kinsella said.

A property management company sent a repairman to the house. He

regrouted the lower part of the shower, but did not cut into the

wall to find the source of the leak. " We think he should have opened

up the wall to an adjoining bedroom to check all the plumbing,'

Norick said.

Later, another repairman removed the tile over the shower pan, cut

into the wall and found black mold, Norich said.

With the opening in the wall, toxic spores were free to enter the

home's air-conditioning duct system, Crotinger said.

" This allowed the spores to contaminate everything from clothing and

carpets to sofas and bedding,' he said.

Kinsella's health continued to deteriorate, and Norick experienced

headaches and fatigue.

They moved out of the house in July, on the advice of both Crotinger

and Kinsella's physician, leaving spore-contaminated furnishings

behind.

" It's a substantial loss for us,' Norick said. " We had to move

without taking anything that might be contaminated, including our

chihuahua's bed pillow and stuffed toys.'

Earlier this month, Kinsella underwent surgery to open severely

congested sinuses. " I feel better now, especially since I'm not

staying in the house,' he said.

Heavy rain in San Bernardino County the past winter has increased

the likelihood of black mold infestations in new and older homes.

" We've been swamped with calls,' Crotinger said. " In many cases,

tenants who don't have the money to move elsewhere are stuck with

staying where they are with visible mold on the walls.'

County spokesman Wert said the county has no regulatory

authority on toxic mold in private homes. " That's an issue between

homeowners or tenant and the builders,' he said.

According to the mold inspector, leaks in interior piping are more

common than rain seepage. But new energy-efficient houses invite

mold colonization. " By constructing hermetically-sealed homes we

create a perfect environment for mold to thrive in,' Crotinger said.

Since it can take only 48 hours for mold to develop, homeowners or

renters find themselves living in a potentially unhealthful dwelling.

Kinsella said many people are held captive by black mold in their

homes because they don't know which way to turn. " I don't want

someone else to have to go through this like we did,' he said.