County to test Village Green complex for mold

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County to test condo units for mold

Health officials seek to gauge the extent of infestation at the Village

Green complex.

Thursday, February 21, 2002

By Jerry Rosen

The Onondaga County Health Department will conduct random mold tests on 10

more condominium units in Village Green to gauge the extent of the mold

infestation in the complex near Baldwinsville.

Health investigators confirmed the growth of stachybotrys chartarum, the

most toxic of molds, in two units last October.

" We're going to do expanded testing, " said Dr. Lloyd Novick, health

commissioner.

The order went out Wednesday.

Statistically, he said testing 10 of the development's 111 units would give

his department a valid sample for determining how widespread the problem is.

Last week, Hamilton, who moved out of her condo unit at 736 Village

Boulevard S. and in with her daughter, Sammartino, in October, sued

Hartford Insurance Co. and the Village Green of Syracuse Homeowners'

Association 5 Inc.

The homeowners' association, her suit claimed, failed to correct the roof

leak that led to the mold infestation, and the insurance company refused to

cover the cost of cleaning up the mold.

Health department engineers also found stachybotrys in the home of Steve

Gehm, who had lived near Hamilton at 754 Fairway Circle, but who now is

staying with friends.

Stachybotrys, particularly, and other molds have been linked to serious

neurological problems in some cases, but usually to throat, eye and

respiratory problems.

Doctors in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1994 even suggested several cases of infant

death resulted from bleeding in their lungs brought on by mold toxins.

Hamilton and Gehm both suffered eye and respiratory problems before each

moved out.

" We know about two, " Novick said. " Then my question became, 'are those the

only two?'

" There are, according to my information, 111 units. We can't test that

many. "

Novick said he asked his Division of Environmental Health to take two tape

samples in each of the 10 selected units and send them to the state health

department for analysis. They will not be taking air samples, he said.

Meanwhile, he said, the news of Hamilton's lawsuit and the discovery of

stachybotrys mold in Gehm's home has attracted a number of calls seeking

health department help.

Novick disputed the complaint of one woman who said she had been told the

department would do no more mold tests because it was becoming too

expensive.

" That's incorrect, " he said. " The fact that we're active in Village Green

shows that we are doing tests.

" Our policy is that, within our capacity, we will do tests.

" Either she got it wrong, or the person she talked to did. "

© 2002 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.