Tests show mold in Atlantic City seniors' high-rise

[Guest guest]

Tests show mold in Atlantic City seniors' high-rise

By DEREK HARPER

Press of Atlantic City - Atlantic City,NJ

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/7235989p-7091777c.html

ATLANTIC CITY — Tests at a city high-rise this month revealed mold

contamination in some of the rooms regularly used by the building's

seniors and disabled residents.

Other residents said mold at P. Jeffries Tower was a common

problem in a building that they said has persistent leaks.

The Feb. 6 tests by Hammonton's Coastal Environmental Compliance LLC

found mold in the building's Community Room 3 and two of its

closets. An air test revealed significant mold contamination.

" The presence of airborne Stachybotrys require immediate action,…;

the report said. " The results indicate that the visible mold on the

Sheetrock is affecting the air quality.…;

It is unclear how much danger the mold poses.

Coastal warned that Stachybotrys " produces mycotoxins, which can

cause adverse health effects in sensitive individuals.…; It

recommended immediate cleaning

The Web site of the federal Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention said Stachybotrys and other molds may cause health

problems. But no tests prove a link between the mold and a specific

symptom.

The CDC still recommends cleaning.

The Feb. 14 report prepared for the authority recommended it close

off the rooms with plastic sheeting and ventilate the rooms with

fans fitted with filters. It suggested any contractor hang signs

warning people not to enter the zone because of " microbiological

remediation work in progress.…;

The report recommended those cleaning the mold wear breathing

protection and protective clothing.

In the closets, the firm recommended replacing the first five feet

of Sheetrock off the floor, then vacuuming, washing and enclosing

the wooden studs. In the community room, it suggested replacing the

bottom three feet of Sheetrock from the window to closet door and

similarly treating the studs. Elsewhere, it suggested hard surfaces

be washed and vacuumed. It said unneeded soft items should be

discarded, while the rest should be vacuumed.

The findings are the latest setback for the authority. An electrical

fire Feb. 7 in the building at 227 N Vermont Ave. temporarily sent

several hundred residents out into the cold.

Following the fire, the authority placed caution tape in the lobby

near the rooms. On Friday, the rooms were empty. A desk, trashcan

and flag were piled in front of the locked, moldy closets.

Acting Executive Director P. Gannone Jr. could not be reached

for comment Friday.

Resident Darrell Noecker, who said he has an enlarged heart, was

outraged that mold had been allowed to build up in the main room.

" I have been sitting here for two hours a day, every day of the week

for the past 10 years!…; He said water was a common sight in the

common rooms: " After every minor rainstorm, you have a lake back

there.…;

Koscielny, 75, said she loved her 14th-floor apartment that

offers an unobstructed view of Absecon Inlet, Brigantine and the

Atlantic Ocean beyond.

She said she does not like the water that trickles in with storms

and grows when a northeaster lashes her side of the building.

In her bedroom, she pointed to the window and where her recently

deceased husband tried to patch cracks. " Over here the water gurgle,

gurgle, gurgle every time it rains.…;

She said she feared what was behind the walls.

Resident Joan E. , 61, also worried about mold contamination.

She showed a visible stain in her bedroom closet and complained the

authority has been nonresponsive.

In a Dec. 27 letter to the authority, she warned there were

potential mold problems, among other issues. In a Jan. 25 reply,

Gannone addressed other issues and added that the only place the

authority found mold was in its 17th-floor executive offices. He

said that had been cleaned.

To e-mail Harper at The Press:

DHarper@...