Aging mobile homes: Mold is a life-and-death issue

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Aging mobile homes: Mold is a life-and-death issue

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101226/NEWS/12260327/1011/NEWS10/Iowa\

-s-aging-mobile-homes-Mold-is-a-life-and-death-issue

Fumbling in the darkness, Newton dropped his cell phone as he called his

daughter, and fell to the floor of his mobile home. All he could think to yell

as he lost consciousness was " Help! " - a cry that probably saved his life.

Newton, 55, a disabled painter, had gone to bed that Friday night in early

October feeling good. When he awoke, he was covered in rashes from head to toe,

inside his body and out. His esophagus had become so swollen in the short time

he had been sleeping that he began choking on his own saliva.

What likely almost killed Newton was mold, a health hazard prevalent in the

oldest mobile homes, medical experts say.

Mold produces allergens that spread over time and create potentially toxic

substances known as mycotoxins, which pose serious heath hazards to human

beings. Among them: respiratory problems, rashes, eye irritation, migraines,

fungal infections and even death.

The age of Newton's mobile home coupled with persistent water problems

underneath the structure in a mobile home community off Southeast 14th Street in

Des Moines likely made the environment in his home life-threatening, his doctors

said.

Older weather-proofing and siding inside aged mobile homes often trap in

moisture and ultimately cause mold to grow on the side of the structure.

Water that drained from a hill near Newton's mobile home at Val Vista Estates

kept the ground beneath Newton's home damp for much of the past 2½ years, he

said.

It's hard to know how much mold existed in the home before Newton moved in five

years ago. But this year, it could be found throughout his house, particularly

in his bedroom.

Newton, who already was disabled because of a tree-trimming accident years ago,

wound up in the emergency room four times in two years. Each time, he came in

struggling to breathe, his eyes swollen, his body covered in rashes.

The last time he came by ambulance to Broadlawns Medical Center in October, an

emergency room doctor told Newton he could not return to his mobile home.

That doctor and another, Dr. Angie Wheatro, Newton's general practice physician,

said the timing of Newton's extreme rashes coupled with water problems beneath

his home highly suggested mold was the culprit.

" If someone were to ask me in court, 'Was it caused by mold?' I would say,

'Yes,' " she said on a visit Newton made to Broadlawns Hospital on Oct. 12.

Newton is not alone.

Older mobile homes in areas prone to damp conditions - in flood plains or near

sources of water - are particularly at risk.

Under state law, mobile home park owners are expected to follow all city, county

and state codes materially affecting the health and safety of residents. That

means they are responsible for all repairs to keep spaces in a " fit and

habitable condition; keep common areas clean and safe; (and) maintain in good

and safe working order and condition all facilities supplied or required to be

supplied by the landlord, " including " electric, water and sewer services. "

Newton said he told the manager of Val Vista Estates the water draining near his

home was making him sick. But that manager, McCloney, denies Newton

brought the problem to the park's attention.

" If there was, it would have been fixed a long time ago, " he said.

In the past several years, 30 states, including Iowa, have adopted standard

approaches to mobile home installations that include an examination of proper

drainage, ground cover, soil quality and strength. Newton's trailer was built

before those installation standards went into effect, so they do not apply.

Newton's story does have a happy ending.

After his last trip to the hospital, he managed to sell the home to someone for

$400. The sale came with a disclosure of the mold and other conditions inside

the home.

Newton found a subsidized apartment at Ligutti Tower in Des Moines. His new

place on the 15th floor looks out over the Iowa Statehouse.

His rent, $193 a month, no longer eats up the $400 a month he receives for

disability.

And he has not had a single health problem since moving out of his mobile home.

" I can breathe so much better, " he said, " and I can even smell now. "