U.S. bill offers homeowners financial hope against mold

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U.S. bill offers homeowners financial hope against mold

Corinne Purtill

The Arizona Republic - Phoenix,AZ*

Nov. 30, 2007

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1130mold1130NU

..html

A bad mold infestation can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of

dollars to fix and can turn a home into a den of wheezing, coughing

or worse.

However, homeowners insurance companies in Arizona exclude mold from

coverage. As a result, some Valley homeowners say they have had to

abandon houses and belongings they believe were making their

families sick.

Some of those families are hopeful a bill to be introduced in

Congress early next year could help others in similar situations.

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Sponsored by Rep. Conyers, D-Mich., the " Melina Bill " would

create a national insurance program to protect homeowners against

major losses as a result of mold. The program would be similar to

the national flood-insurance program already in place. It also would

mandate mold inspections in public housing and certification for

mold inspectors.

Mold experts say it could help protect Americans from a threat to

their health and homes.

" The individual homeowners in the United States are facing terrible

risks in their financial situations because of the lack of being

able to get mold insurance, " said Chester Leathers, an environmental

consultant and professor emeritus of microbiology at Arizona State

University.

Excluded in policies

Arizona is among 39 states that allow insurers to exclude mold from

homeowners policies. Policies vary in the remaining states.

Payments from a covered incident such as a burst pipe may be used to

treat mold. But generally, mold is considered " a maintenance issue,

and therefore that's not the responsibility of the insurance

companies to handle that particular event, " said Ron ,

executive director of the Arizona Insurance Information Association.

Conyers first introduced the U.S. Toxic Mold Safety and Protection

Act in 2005 after a staff member's daughter suffered serious lung

damage as a result of indoor mold. The bill failed, but Conyers will

reintroduce it in January with modifications, his communications

director, , wrote in an e-mail.

It's unclear exactly what the new version will look like.

Mold tied to ailments

Up to 20 percent of the population is allergic to one or more molds,

Leathers said. Studies have found extensive evidence linking mold

exposure to breathing problems, congestion, irritated eyes and skin

irritation.

Arizona's dry climate is no safeguard. Plumbing problems, leaky

roofs and humidifiers all can cause indoor mold growth.

Some Valley residents believe mold made them seriously ill.

Luz Fuenzalida's puppy chewed through a pipe in her Phoenix home in

November 2001. The next day, she said, she and her two sons, ages 11

and 13, began suffering headaches and nausea. An environmental

consultant later found mold as a result of the leak.

The family moved out two weeks later. In 2003, a pediatrician wrote

Fuenzalida, saying both boys tested positive for high levels of

Aspergillus flavus, a type of mold that can colonize in the lungs.

It also produces aflatoxin, a carcinogenic toxin. Lab results from

2004 showed Fuenzalida also had abnormally high levels of aflatoxins

in her body.

Fuenzalida's home still sits empty. Once she made a link between her

family's health and mold, she never went back. Her insurance company

will not cover her losses, she said, and she could lose the house.

" I never in my life thought (mold) could do what it has done, " she

said.

Scientists, however, say they can't prove a link between mold

exposure and serious health problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention says that although indoor mold is a health

concern, there is no solid evidence that it causes symptoms such as

lethargy and memory problems.

As it is now, there are few options for Valley residents with mold

problems they can't afford to fix.

Buchberger, 59, abandoned her possessions and sold her mold-

infested Phoenix home after she and her adult son became sick.

In January 2006, Don Herrington, epidemiology bureau chief at the

state Department of Health Services, responded to her written

complaint with a letter saying that, although he was sorry for the

family's struggles, there was nothing the agency could do.

" In Arizona, there are no regulations pertaining to mold, hence, the

government agencies within Arizona have no authority to intervene in

mold issues, " he wrote. " It seems that the most likely way to pursue

your desire to help yourselves and others who are faced with a

similar concern is through the legislative approach. "