Mold a growing problem - It's more common in AZ than in most states

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Mold a growing problem

It's more common in Arizona than in most states, and it's a serious

health risk

By Tony

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Tucson, Arizona*

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/214024

advertisementArizona's dry weather can't stop mold from spreading

through a home once a roof leaks or an air conditioner clogs with

water.

Newcomers are surprised to learn this, but insurance companies know

all about it: Two reports have ranked Arizona among the top five

states nationally in mold property-damage claims.

Business is flourishing at many Tucson companies that clean mold

from homes, with some reporting at least a doubling of their

clientele in the last five years. The cleanup tab for a home starts

at $750 and can balloon to $20,000 or more.

Mold inside the home can lead to asthma, coughing, wheezing and

other respiratory problems, federal health officials warn. About 20

percent of U.S. asthma cases, affecting 4.6 million people, are

caused by mold and building dampness, the Environmental Protection

Agency says.

Many insurance and environmental experts see mold as the next lead

or asbestos, meaning it could lead to a wave of health concerns,

lawsuits and expensive cleanups.

Mold is not nearly as toxic as lead, which can cause central nervous

system damage, or asbestos, which can trigger lung cancer. But it

poses a more difficult problem in one respect.

" You can seal or encapsulate lead or asbestos. If you have asbestos

in the ceiling, you can coat it. But you can't do that with mold, "

said Pur- pura, sales vice president for Global Prevention

Services, a mold cleanup firm.

" If you do it with mold, it will continue to grow. Mold is a living

organism. Even if you kill the mold, any that is left behind can

cause health effects. "

Tightly sealed homes add risk

Why is Arizona such a mold hotspot?

It seems counterintuitive, until you consider modern building

practices and materials, said Carl , CEO of the Greenguard

Environmental Institute, and Breck Grumbles, owner of Abracadabra

Restoration, a mold remediation firm.

Our homes here use more frame stucco, particle board and cellulose,

all prime hosts for water.

We have flat roofs, which are more prone to leaking than pitched

roofs.

We rely heavily on air conditioning, and we've switched in recent

decades to tight, energy-efficient building designs to hold down

cooling bills.

Caulked windows make it harder for outdoor air to enter or indoor

air to leave, offering less dilution of any kind of indoor

pollution.

" When it's built like an ice chest and sealed, that's good for

energy but not mold, " said Purpura of Global Prevention. " As long as

you have an exchange of air, that's the key. "

Hazmat suits in cleanup

There was little doubt as to the source of Zoe Olson's mold

problems, which surfaced after she bought an apartment complex near

North First Avenue and East Elm Street.

She learned through an inspection last November that black mold had

tainted sections of bathrooms in six of 11 units.

A dog trained by its owner, Tucson mold inspector Setford, to

sniff for mold found it at the end of one bathtub, under sinks and

toilets, under the tile and around vanities. Leaky pipes were the

prime water source feeding the fungus.

It cost Olson close to $25,000 to clean out all the mold, including

ripping out and replacing insulation, studs and sheet rock from the

walls of four bathrooms.

" I saw it when they were taking it out — it was black, like mold

looks on bread. The guys who were working on it had hazmat suits

on, " Olson said.

Southeast Side homeowner Jacquelyn traces the mold recently

vacuumed and sanded out of her bathrooms and bedroom to a storm in

late July that blew off the back section of her roof, allowing rain

to leak into the home.

When workers came to dry out the house, they found black and green

mold, which forced her to evacuate to an apartment.

Fixing the roof cost $3,500 and ripping out the mold-infested studs

and drywall cost another $4,000, but is luckier than many

others: Her insurer is covering repairs for the damage.