Cisneros coughs up black mold. He bagged sputum for analysis; the mold continued to grow in the bags.

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The Record, Stockton, Calif., Fitzgerald column: Hotel Stockton painter

sickened by mold, suit claims (The Record, Stockton, Calif.)Link to article:

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2008_May_30/k.SKG.1212167242.html

By Fitzgerald, The Record, Stockton, Calif.McClatchy-Tribune Regional

News May 30--For all its splendor now, The Hotel Stockton was a sick building

before its 2002-04 remodel. Now one man says it was a sick building during the

remodel.

" Ed " Cisneros, a Stockton painter, is suing Cyrus Youssefi, the Sacramento

master developer, and others involved in the project, in Sacramento County

Superior Court.

" I trusted them, " he said. " They let me down. "

Cisneros' suit claims plaintiffs knew the 1910 building was full of asbestos,

lead and toxic mold but did not issue warnings or provide adequate safety gear.

Youssefi, for his part, says he spent hundreds of thousand dollars ensuring the

building was clean.

Cisneros, 51, is diagnosed with severe internal systemic fungal infection.

" My body is totally saturated with these (molds). They are in all my organs, "

said Cisneros, who is virtually housebound.

Cisneros coughs up black mold. He bagged sputum for analysis; the mold continued

to grow in the bags.

" It's like three-month-old bread, " Cisneros said. " The same thing is happening

on the inside of me. "

He suffers fatigue, headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, digestive

problems, abdominal pains and sensitivity to light. Also anaphylactic shocks.

" Nausea will come over me. My face feels like cold wax. Dizziness, confusion,

shaking, sweating. "

Cisneros believes his nightmare goes back to his year-plus spent painting the

Hotel Stockton.

The hotel, which closed in 1960, housed government offices until 1991. Save for

a couple of small tenants, it then stood vacant for a decade.

During its vacancy, pigeon guano, leaking pipes and moisture from other sources

activated mold -- piles so big they bowed the floors, Cisneros says.

Records from the 1990s show a remaining tenant, radio station KJOY, fought a

legal battle with the county government over the mold.

Ex-KJOY DJ Candace Hosey, 47, reached in Modesto, said a fungal infection

hospitalized her in the late '90s. She had to take a six-month medical leave.

She is still infected.

" I take a variety of medications and four different inhalers just so I'm not

totally down, " Hosey said. " It's pretty brutal. "

Late '90s inspection records also document dangerous levels of asbestos.

Nothing was done until the county deeded the hotel to the city of Stockton and

remodeling began.

Youssefi says a hazardous-materials team cleaned out all asbestos -- and pigeon

guano covering the floors an inch deep -- in late 2002 before workers arrived.

The Environmental Protection Agency signed off on the building. Otherwise, the

city of Stockton would not have issued the demolition permit, Youssefi said.

" Did I check every inch of the building and could I swear to you unequivocally

there was never a mold spot? I cannot do that, " Youssefi said. " But, first-class

consultant, EPA tests galore, clean air, those are all documented. Those are

irrefutable. "

Nevertheless, records show that in spring of 2003, a local union boss spotted

friable asbestos on the hotel's roof. State safety authorities ordered Youssefi

to take further precautions.

That was a half-year into the project. Cisneros claims the same laxity applied

to mold.

Youssefi counters that project bosses held weekly safety meetings. If mold was a

problem, they took measures.

Cisneros says the only measures taken were paper masks. Workers constantly

labored in clouds of demolition dust, he says.

A few months into the job, Cisneros says he began experiencing headaches and

fatigue. His symptoms persist.

He's not the only one. " I have a lot of shortness of breath, " complained Malcolm

Volsan, 37, a Stockton plumber. " I get headaches. "

Volsan also complained of " periodic nausea. I feel light-headed, like I'm

getting ready to faint. Usually I just I don't have the energy level that I had

before. "

Youssefi points out Cisneros filed four workers compensation claims during his

time on the job. His suit, the fifth action, could make for skepticism about his

motives.

" My injuries were injuries, " Cisneros responds.

Cisneros did not name the city of Stockton in his lawsuit because he was not

correctly diagnosed until mid-2007. By then, the deadline for suing a public

entity had passed.

He says he wants others to seek medical attention before their infections pass

the point of no return.

His is right on the edge. " I try not to think about it, " he said. " I just hope

I'll get better. "

Youssefi also pointed out that no tenant of the hotel has complained of mold,

though the building has been occupied for 31/2 years.

" The truth is going to come out, " Youssefi said.

Contact columnist Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or

michaelf@....

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