Guest guest Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Haley, There were a lot of spaces in the URL. If you paste these two lines together, it works. Albany Times Union, December 5, 2007 http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp? storyID=644520 & category=REGION & newsdate=12/5/2007 Mold task force hears about hidden hazard Woman driven out of Brunswick home tells of health, financial woes By BRIAN NEARING, First published: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 ALBANY -- e Choma has ideas about how the state can protect people from toxic mold. After all, mold drove her from her home, ruined her health, claimed nearly all her possessions and forced her into bankruptcy. " They need to make sure that sellers are held accountable when they are misleading about a mold problem, " said the 40-year-old, who is only now emerging from a three-year nightmare that started in her newly purchased house in Brunswick. On Tuesday, the state Toxic Mold Task Force held its first meeting to come up with recommendations for rules on mold. " Mold is something that we all have to become more aware of, " said task force chairwoman Kim, interim director of the state Health Department's Center for Environmental Health. " I think the mold outbreaks that happened after the flooding of Hurricane Katrina heightened everyone's interest. " The 14-member task force heard from Cheryl Borden, a 40-year gymnastics teacher who drove up from Long Island. Borden developed a chemical sensitivity called hypersensitivity pneumonitis, also known as " farmer's lung, " after living in a mold-contaminated apartment in late 2000. The condition hit her so hard that she had to have her lungs surgically scraped, she said. While Borden is still able to work, she cannot go into many newer buildings because of sensitivity to chemicals in materials. " I've had to give up two jobs because of it, " she said. " It has totally changed my life. " Borden said the state should give renters the right to have their apartments tested. After she got sick, her landlord kept her out of her apartment for eight months, and only let her in to have tests done after she sued. Chomas had to abandon her $106,000 home at 6 Magill Ave. in Brunswick in 2004 after being sickened by mold she says was not revealed by the sellers. After a few months, her skin broke into a rash, her memory went spotty, her hair started falling out and breathing was difficult. She also had to pay more than $10,000 in federal and state taxes after failing to convince tax collectors that she had suffered a legitimate loss when she walked away from her mortgage. Choma's former home sold for $36,000 -- about a third of its original value -- in 2006, said Ron Neissen, Brunswick building and fire code inspector. The new owner had the two-story home " gutted right down to the studs, " he said, and started rebuilding from the roof on down. But work stopped several months ago. " They spent weeks in there, four or five guys on the demolition, and then five carpenters, and there is a long way to go, " Neissen said. If the real estate broker and agent sold Choma the home without revealing the mold problem, they could be charged with breaking state law. The state Department of State said the case has been assigned to an administrative law judge. Choma reached an out-of-court settlement at a substantial loss. " I needed to repay the IRS, which was breathing down my neck. I had enough left over for a pack of gum. " Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Thanks - I read it... was just letting Joe know it may not open as it came through. How are you faring this holiday? ~H. LiveSimply <quackadillian@...> wrote: Haley, There were a lot of spaces in the URL. If you paste these two lines together, it works. Albany Times Union, December 5, 2007 http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp? storyID=644520 & category=REGION & newsdate=12/5/2007 Mold task force hears about hidden hazard Woman driven out of Brunswick home tells of health, financial woes By BRIAN NEARING, First published: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 ALBANY -- e Choma has ideas about how the state can protect people from toxic mold. After all, mold drove her from her home, ruined her health, claimed nearly all her possessions and forced her into bankruptcy. " They need to make sure that sellers are held accountable when they are misleading about a mold problem, " said the 40-year-old, who is only now emerging from a three-year nightmare that started in her newly purchased house in Brunswick. On Tuesday, the state Toxic Mold Task Force held its first meeting to come up with recommendations for rules on mold. " Mold is something that we all have to become more aware of, " said task force chairwoman Kim, interim director of the state Health Department's Center for Environmental Health. " I think the mold outbreaks that happened after the flooding of Hurricane Katrina heightened everyone's interest. " The 14-member task force heard from Cheryl Borden, a 40-year gymnastics teacher who drove up from Long Island. Borden developed a chemical sensitivity called hypersensitivity pneumonitis, also known as " farmer's lung, " after living in a mold-contaminated apartment in late 2000. The condition hit her so hard that she had to have her lungs surgically scraped, she said. While Borden is still able to work, she cannot go into many newer buildings because of sensitivity to chemicals in materials. " I've had to give up two jobs because of it, " she said. " It has totally changed my life. " Borden said the state should give renters the right to have their apartments tested. After she got sick, her landlord kept her out of her apartment for eight months, and only let her in to have tests done after she sued. Chomas had to abandon her $106,000 home at 6 Magill Ave. in Brunswick in 2004 after being sickened by mold she says was not revealed by the sellers. After a few months, her skin broke into a rash, her memory went spotty, her hair started falling out and breathing was difficult. She also had to pay more than $10,000 in federal and state taxes after failing to convince tax collectors that she had suffered a legitimate loss when she walked away from her mortgage. Choma's former home sold for $36,000 -- about a third of its original value -- in 2006, said Ron Neissen, Brunswick building and fire code inspector. The new owner had the two-story home " gutted right down to the studs, " he said, and started rebuilding from the roof on down. But work stopped several months ago. " They spent weeks in there, four or five guys on the demolition, and then five carpenters, and there is a long way to go, " Neissen said. If the real estate broker and agent sold Choma the home without revealing the mold problem, they could be charged with breaking state law. The state Department of State said the case has been assigned to an administrative law judge. Choma reached an out-of-court settlement at a substantial loss. " I needed to repay the IRS, which was breathing down my neck. I had enough left over for a pack of gum. " Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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