SPECIAL REPORT: Mold poses health danger in homes flooded by Katrina

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SPECIAL REPORT: Mold poses health danger in homes flooded by Katrina

Last Update: 11/18/2005 11:14:18 PM

http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=31960FDF-FB0E-

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(MOBILE, Ala.) November 17 - Flooded homes after Hurricane Katrina

become ideal breeding grounds for mold. Some residents in Mobile

County are already feeling the effects.

" I couldn't breathe hardly, " says Bayou La Batre resident, Belinda

Wilkerson.

Wilkerson and her husband Coy became ill from the mold that took

over their home after it was flooded in Katrina. " Coughing badly,

getting feverish and sore throat, " says Bayou La Batre resident, Coy

Wilkerson.

Black mold, it's a health problem many homeowners face after water

got in their home during Katrina. " This year with Hurricane

Katrina, and the amount of mold that's been put into the

environment, it's now in the dust and the dirt, " says Dr.

Whitlock.

If you don't clean it out, doctors say it can make you very sick.

The Wilkerson's used bleach to try to kill it. " We sprayed about

ten gallons in there and it stopped it for a while but it's still

coming back, " says Coy.

Belinda says she then noticed the mold growing right where she

slept. " The mold got on the mattresses. The mold is starting to

grow on the box springs in this house now, " says Belinda.

" You can imagine being asleep for 8 hours and inhaling these

microscopic particles all night long, " says Dr. Whitlock.

Dr. Whitlock says it's going to be a long mold season. " This is

something to be fearful of. With mold, the spores can be inhaled and

cause pnuemonia, " says Dr. Whitlock.

In fact doctors say mold can trigger:

1.) Asthma attacks.

2.) Mold or spores touched or inhaled may cause sneezing, runny

nose, red eyes and skin rash.

3.) A burning sensation in the eyes, throat and lungs.

4.) Pnuemonia resembling bacterial pnuemonia may develop and those

with weak immune systems may be vunerable to lung infections.

" Actually you can have lesions in the lungs that wall off and a

portion of the lung can die, " says Dr. Whitlock.

Bayou La Batre resident, Harbison says her doctor told her

not to go home because of the mold. " He told me not to go back in

there because if it settles down in your lungs they'll have to put

you in the hospital. I was on 3 different medicines, " says Harbison.

Watts inspects buildings for mold. Here's what he's

encountered after Katrina. " Walk in front door the odor is usually

strong, mold is growing on circular shapes on sheet rock on

furniture. The growth is very fuzzy shaped, " says Watts.

Watts says mold can be cleaned off of glass, ceramic or metal. but

other mold covered surfaces must be thrown out. " Paper based

products like sheet rock, wallpaper, will support it. Carpeting will

support growth. Leather vinyl books grow mold first before other

things. After removing the sheetrock, the insullation needs to come

out. It'll support mold growth, " says Watts.

" The best thing to do is get into a FEMA trailer until your house

has been properly cleaned and all your insullation has been

removed, " says Dr. Whitlock.

If you've got mold, get it out but don't expect help from insurance

companies. " Most insurance companies do not cover mold they have a

specific exclusion in their policies, " says Mobile Insurance Agent,

Ross Sloan. Sloan says it happened in the insurance industry in the

late 90s after mold claims began multiplying quickly. " It went up

10 times to $5 million dollars, " says Sloan.

Mold testing and removal can get costly but you do have options. So

if you have mold, experts say if you can't afford to get an

inspection done buy a do-it-yourself kit at your local hardware

store. " You need to compare your indoor levels of mold to your

outdoor levels and that'll give you a good barometer as to where the

air quality in your home stands, " says Watts.

Doctors say mold clean-up is essential. " It doesn't take much, just

a cap full of bleach in one gallon of water is really sufficient, "

says Dr. Whitlock.

" We purexed the whole house and put a water hose in it. We put an

airconditioner in the living room, " says Belinda.

It hasn't been easy but the Wilkersons say they know getting rid of

the mold spores in their home have helped them feel better .

Watts says the best way to control mold is to dry it as quick as you

can. Experts also say a dehumidifier can also help water exposed

areas.