There's no escaping mold

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There's no escaping mold

Foreclosed, seasonal homes especially at risk

Daytona Beach News-Journal*

By VALERIE WHITNEY

Business Writer

http://www.newsjournalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Business/Headlines

/bizREAL01BIZ012708.htm

DAYTONA BEACH -- Seasonal residents arriving here should be on the

lookout for mold.

But then so should anyone whose home has been shut for awhile or

buyers considering foreclosed homes that have been vacant.

" Normally, this is the dry season and we don't have a lot of excess

humidity, " said Kathy , a cooperative extension agent for

Volusia County.

But with the hot-and-cold weather of late, she said, it might not be

a bad idea to run a fan a couple of hours during those days when the

air conditioner would be too much.

Circulating the air helps discourage mold, a fuzzy fungus that can

be black, green, gray, orange or other colors. It thrives on wet

wood and paper products including drywall, carpeting and ceiling

tile.

Outdoors, mold breaks down dead organic matter such as leaves and

dead trees, but, indoors, mold growth should be avoided, according

to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Mold is usually not a problem indoors, unless spores land on a wet

or a damp spot and begin growing, according to the agency. Interior

walls, bathrooms and attic/crawl space are common places for mold.

The fungus needs moisture to grow. Common sources include plumbing

leaks in walls, showers that are not sealed tight and roofs that

leak into attics or behind walls.

said spring and summer are the peak months for mold in

Florida because of the heat and humidity.

Mike Chevalier, owner of The Home Exam Inc., agreed.

" Once you get mold into a home, it is going to generate more mold, "

unless it is cleaned up, Chevalier said in a telephone interview.

The slowdown in housing sales has caused some sellers to look the

other way when it comes to dealing with instances of mold, said Tom

Meehan, owner of TFM Home Improvements. The firm provides mold

inspection and cleaning services.

Instead of hiring qualified contractors, Meehan said, some owners

are hoping to get by with using handyman services to do the job.

" If not done properly, it will grow back. It is a living organism, "

he said, adding he provides property owners with a copy of EPA-

developed cleaning guidelines.

" I bring (the guidelines) on every job and show how and why it is

being done, " he said.

Beginning in 2010, mold inspectors in Florida will be required to

pass a certification exam. In addition, applicants must have either

a degree in microbiology, industrial hygiene or four years of

experience in the field.

Maglievaz, an indoor air inspector for the Volusia County

Health Department, examines homes where residents experience medical

problems and suspect mold is to blame.

" That (the new law) was in response to all the people getting ripped

off, " Maglievaz said in a recent telephone interview. The mold

frenzy that had consumers in a panic just a couple of years ago has

died down, he said, especially reports of toxic black mold.

A lot of attention centered on Stachybotrys chartarum, a greenish-

black mold that can grow on material with a high cellulose and low

nitrogen content, such as fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and

lint. Growth occurs where there is moisture from water damage,

excessive humidity, condensation, water infiltration or flooding.

There are reports that have linked it, in some incidences, to

respiratory illnesses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, while certain molds

can produce toxins, the molds themselves are not toxic or

poisonous. " Hazards presented by molds that may produce (toxins)

should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow

in your house, " the agency said in a fact sheet on the environmental

hazards and health effects of molds at its Web site.

" It (Stachybotrys chartarum) usually takes awhile to form. It needs

a leak, " Rick Edgren, president of Certified Mold Solutions Inc.,

said in a telephone interview.

" Now that people are better educated (about mold), there is not as

much panic, " Maglievaz said. Many of the calls he gets now about

mold are from people looking for general help and basic information

on how to proceed in eradicating it.

His response depends on their answers to several questions,

including how big is the mold and whether or not the caller can

clean it on their own. If it is a major problem, he said, he will

direct them to the mold Web site maintained by the EPA.

Most homeowners can get rid of mold themselves with detergent and

disinfectant if the mold growth is limited to less than 10 square

feet of surface, or less than a roughly 3-foot by 3-foot patch,

according to the EPA.

Surprisingly, Maglievaz said, he also has gotten a lot of calls from

tenants living in relatively new homes the owners have been forced

to rent because they can't sell them in the current market. In many

cases, he said, it seems the owners are not getting enough in rent

to pay for maintenance. " I didn't get those kinds of calls a few

years ago, " he said.

He said his department averages between 10 and 20 calls a day

involving tenant disputes involving potential mold claims in good

neighborhoods.

The EPA advises renters to report all plumbing leaks and moisture

problems immediately to the building owner, manager or

superintendent.

One area business owner found out how big a problem mold can cause.

Restaurant operator Mike Murray claims mold forced him to close down

the Farmhouse Diner in South Daytona last summer. Since then, Murray

and the property owner, identified in court papers as Lakeview

Estates LP, have been locked in a legal battle.

Murray said he closed the business in June because part of the

ceiling dropped and an inspection by an engineering firm noted the

presence of mold. " We gave them a 20-day notice, " Murray said in a

telephone interview.

In the meantime, the landlord has filed suit for eviction since

Murray stopped paying rent.

In court papers, the owners also noted the building was OK before

Murray rented it. They allege any problems are a result of the

failure to operate the air-conditioning system at the recommended

temperature or not operating exhaust fans in a proper manner.

The combination of the two, the suit stated, resulted in

condensation that, ultimately, formed water and, in turn, damaged

the interior ceiling.

Murray and his landlord are slated for mediation next month, records

show.

valerie.whitney@...

Mold Reaction

People can have adverse reactions to mold. Here are a few health

effects:

· Allergic reactions to molds are common. They can be immediate or

delayed.

· For people with asthma, mold can cause attacks.

· Mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs.

SOURCE: Environmental Protection Agency