City has growing problem Ð mold

[Guest guest]

City has growing problem Ð mold

MIKE SAKAL, Morning Journal Writer10/01/2005

http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=15312548 & BRD=1699 & PAG=461 & dept_id=46371 & rfi=6

Lorain,OH

SHEFFIELD LAKE -- It sounds like an ethnic name in Lorain County,

but stachybotrys is something you wouldn't want to establish roots

in your living quarters or workplace.

A study has determined there were elevated levels of stachybotrys --

a mold -- throughout parts of Sheffield Lake City Hall, said

Sheffield Lake Mayor Piskura. The study was completed June 2 by

AirXperts, an environmental engineering company in Doylestown, near

Canton.

The mold, which was caused by water and moisture leaking into the 37-

year-old building at Road and Richelieu Avenue, mostly was in

the lower level of City Hall, the police department, with the

majority of it in the fire department, Piskura said yesterday.

Since March, some firefighters had noticeably more runny noses,

complained that they didn't feel right after working a 24-hour shift

and wanted the city to look into the problem, but no one could

verify that it was the mold causing the runny noses, Piskura said.

''We were told by the (Lorain County) Health Department that mold

was everywhere,'' Piskura said. ''The building has been flawed in

design, so it probably has been festering for a number of years. The

grade of the grounds and parking lots slope into the building

instead of draining away from it, and we're doing some things to

improve that.''

Molds can produce irritants that can provoke coughing, and some

spores contain toxins that also irritate the airways, according to a

report published by The Associated Press on Wednesday that

chronicled the mold problems of the hurricane-riddled southern

United States.

Piskura said the city is following the recommendations of the health

department by adding some drainage, repairing the roof, buying a new

HVAC unit and regrading the parking lot, which will cost an

estimated $45,000.

Jim Boddy, the director of environmental health for Lorain County,

said yesterday that stachybotrys is an organism that produces more

toxins than any other mold.

Although stachybotrys carries potent allergens, it only affects

people who have allergies or asthma, Boddy said.

''It's not so much important what type of mold there is, but the

fact that there is moisture in the building, which needs to be

removed. Right now, mold is a big issue, and the city needs to take

the right steps to get rid of the problems causing the moisture and

then clean the mold,'' he said.

Boddy recommended that if anyone has mold in damp or leaky

basements, they should clean the walls with soap and water, spray

the wall with mild laundry bleach solution or purchase a

dehumidifier.

Piskura said that the mold, or water spots that were on the ceiling

tiles and blocks of the municipal building, were hard to see.

''It's not as if we have fuzzy mold on the walls,'' Piskura

said. ''It's more like water spots. Not everyone is susceptible to

these molds, but we have put out an advisory saying for people to

watch out for severe allergy symptoms.''

Kozlowski, president of the International Association of Fire

Fighters Local 2355, which represents Sheffield Lake firefighters,

said yesterday something needs to be done to correct the mold, most

of which was in the department's living quarters.

''After some of the guys would work their 24-hour shift, they would

say, ÔI'm not feeling right, but when I'm at home, it seems to go

away,''' Kozlowski said. ''When the former fire chief (Jeff Young)

retired earlier this year, he made some recommendations to the city

that the moisture situation be fixed. He said it was an extremely

unhealthy situation.''