needing dvice over a possible paranoid concern or something sinister

[Guest guest]

I moved into this apartment about four months ago. I have a second

floor apartment in a three story buidling. A few weeks ago, there

was a serious water leak in the downstairs (public entrance) area.

It flooded apartments and it was the police who responded by

pounding on doors at 3 am. At the time, it didn't seem worth

getting out of bed.

Over the next few days, when I would leave my upstairs apartment and

walk down towards the door (to leave) I could smell an odor that was

very earthy. The ceiling was partly removed and part of it was

drooping down and eventually caved in. The comlex had a

professional company come in to clean the three downstairs

apartments that were most severly impacted by flooding. But the

ceiling was left to temporarily rot.

I complained to my husband about how the smell was bothering me. I

was only breifly around it during the day when I would walk out of

my home and pass it, but then I would feel the smell still ligering,

and even seem to smell it after I had left its presence. I am not

usually sensitive to smells and this wasn't bad in the normal sense,

bu it was a different pungeant smell that reminded me almost of cut

grass. He went downstairs and pushed on the drooping ceiling and it

caved in (just a panel). The complex came and cleaned up the mess

but left the ceiling exposed. A little over a week passed and

eventually the smell started be get less strong, but it is still

enough to bother me.

I was under the weather before this occured with respiratory

ailments, pssibly a cold. I felt a gret deal of congestion and was

wheezing wich I had never experienced. When the leak (or gush of

burst pipes) occured, I found mself feeling dizzy as well. I am

unable to tell if my respiratory symtoms could have been caused by

something in the building or if it is coincidence.

The leak occured two weeks ago. Last week, my daughter was

violently ill with a fever and nausua, and then a few days after my

son felt that way too. It appeared to be a short lasting stomach

flu. The sypmtonms only lasted a day in each case. My husband also

has experienced malaise and aches and nausea that seems to come back

as soon as he starts to feel a little better. Then again, the other

day, my daugther was sick, complaing of headaches and throwing up

(this time no fever). She is six and it was her first headache.

My lung congestion finally cleared, but for the last few weeks, I

felt felt my throat seem to tighten as if to an allergy (like the

stories I hear about bee sting allergies or shell fish). I have

never had any nown allergy before, and am planning on seeing a

doctor to see if there is another cause to my sore throat (that

seems to worsten.)

When I went downstairs with a flashlight to look at the ceiling, I

saw the smallest bit of black mold, little tufts that came down from

one exposed area of the ceiling. It was minor in looks, and seemed

to be dry, and most of the concrete seemed clear. But while I was

inspecting it, I could still sense the earthy smell.

I called the health department yesterday, and I was assured that

most of the mold hysteria is unfounded; I was told to see a doctor

in case there as a serious problem instead of my unfounded concern

that the leak was causing it. The health department official said

that after a leak, mold is common, and that the smell goes away and

there is no harm as long as the moisture problem is removed. He

said that there is no absolute link between mold and health

problems, which I was shocked to hear him say.

I then called the apartment complex to tell them that my entire

family has had symtoms and we are concerend that it is a mold

issue. The person we talked to was a receptionist who promised to

look into the situation.

This morning as I was walking down the stairs from our apartment, I

saw water dripping from the remaining ceiling- just a little

condensation. I asked my husband to call the management again to

tell them there is still moisure and when I returned home, the

ceiling had been repaired. I am concerned that it was repaired

while there is still moisure. The maintanence person said he also

smells a musty smell (his words) and he is sorry he doesn't know

what to say. He said all the building in the apartment complex have

that sort of condensation (that caused the water dripping that

morning). I was concenred they patched it up while there is still

moisure. I have never heard of pipes causing condesation, but it

seems that would harbor mold.

I bought an ionizer, but I am not sure it will be enough of a help.

I also talked to some of the neighbors. One man told me that for a

day last week he was violently ill at work and threw up 14 times.

He went to the emergency room and was told it was possibly a 24 hour

flu. He complained that his carpet (which was professionally

cleaned after the flooding) still had a smell to it, and siad he was

worried about a chemical or rust problem in his carpet making him

sick.

I spoke to another lady in the building today also. She had not

thought of it beinga possible mold problem, but she did tell me that

her son has been sneezing and having cold symtoms for the last few

weeks. He has never had such symptoms before. Her daughter had a 24

hour flu as well, but seems recoverend now. She said the smell did

not bother her as much, but that she has a friend visit who said it

winded her the moment she entered the building.

My husband today has been violently ill, throwing up and having

tremors but no fever. I don't know if it is all coincidence or

maybe a bug or two going around the neighborhood. I am most

concerned because of the smell, but I seem to smell it better than

most others I ask. The neighbors I contacted were the only ones I

have semm and spoken to, and all had concerns as well.

I can smell it less now that the ceiling was repaired, but I am

concerned that there is still moisture up there, and that the

complex calls it natural condensation.

I have heard that mold usually doesn't affect everyone, and it seems

my whole family has been affected but something, which may be

atypical to this sort of thing. I am planning on going to a doctor,

but wonder if a doctor will be able to tell what the cause is. My

main sypmtoms are constant sore throat and on and off dizziness.

I have never seen major amounts of mold here, and wonder if I am

paranoid. The leak only ocured a few weeks ago, so it seems no mold

could have grown so quickly, unless maybe the leak has been ongoing

and the mold was out of sight. I feel that is possible because of

the smell that was present.

My mother came to visit this last weekend and was starting to feel

ill and went home. She swears she smelled nothing out of the

ordinary and thinks she was getting a touch of the virus that must

be affecting my family.

I am wodering what I can do to get some answers, and if this can be

harmful in the time it takes to find them. I have a 3 year old son

who is the least affected, which seems unusual if it is mold as

well.

Also, it seems odd that my family would be more affected (on the

second floor) then the families on the main floor where the leak

occured. My actal apartment doesn't smell, only the common area

below.

Advice would be very much appreciated,