Dangerous mold creeps into houses, lungs, skin (Bozeman, Montana)

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Dangerous mold creeps into houses, lungs, skin

02/24/02

By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer

THOMAS LEE/ CHRONICLE

LIVINGSTON - In January of 2001, Sherry Bossert's foot itched. Then it

started looking funny. Then it started looking awful. The skin was peeling,

the flesh was turning black. Then it started to spread and painful blisters

erupted all over her body.

In no time at all, doctors were talking about the possibility of amputating

a couple toes. An allergy specialist in Bozeman looked at her foot and

said " what are you allergic to? " Bossert recalled.

She could think of nothing.

He gave her an injection, prescribed salves and creams and she eventually

felt better, but not before she lost three weeks of work as a daytime

bartender.

Then, in June, the sickness punched her in the lungs, causing pneumonia and

bronchitis. More pills, more misery, another three weeks of lost work.

" I was beginning to think I was crazy, because I was so sick all the time, "

Bossert recalled. " It was just one thing after another. "

The rash kept coming back and at times she had to cover her whole body with

damp sweat clothes, gloves and socks.

Then, last July, she opened the door to a little room in her basement

garage, the room that housed the mechanics for her 20-year-old hot tub, also

in the basement.

The pipes had sprung a leak, and disgusting, fuzzy black mold was climbing

the sheetrock walls.

Even then, she found the mold more disgusting than alarming. She hired a

maintenance man to clean up the mess, to haul away the slimy sheetrock and

boards.

Her plumber was busy, so she bought some goop at the hardware store to fix

the leaky pipes.

Then her doctor asked if she had mold in her house.

" Bingo, " she said.

She removed the wooden hot tub and found more mold beneath it. A duct vented

air from that room to a place above her redwood deck, where the boards and

an indoor/outdoor carpet were infested with more mold.

Then the battles started with her insurance company, Hartford.

So far, the company has paid about $4,000 in cleanup bills, including hiring

a specialist to test the home where Bossert has lived for 21 years.

But she said it's been a " constant fight " with Hartford and she has a thick

file of papers documenting her struggle, which is far from over.

Tests conducted by Robin Billau, a certified industrial hygienist, found

mold spores all over the house, even in the forced-air heating system.

Billau recommended gutting the wood-paneled basement, including a finished

recreation room.

The job could cost $30,000 or more, Bossert fears. But she fears if she

doesn't do it, the mold will continue to threaten her health as well as

render her home unsalable.

" They're not saying yes, they're not saying no, " she said of the Hartford

adjustors and claims agents, who could not be reached for comment this week.

Meanwhile, the rash on her foot keeps coming back, though she has learned to

manage it with medications.

Widespread problem nationally

Montana, with it's dry climate, can't hold a candle to the mold problems

found in places like Texas, California and the deep South.

But while the problem is relatively uncommon here, it's real.

" This is not really mold country, " said Dr. , the Bozeman

allergist who treated Bossert. " But there are individuals who have

problems. "

Mike Herzog said he confirms the presence of potentially dangerous mold in

the Bozeman area about 20 or 25 times a year. The owner of Montana

Microbiological Services in Bozeman performs lab tests on samples taken from

homes.

Mold spores are everywhere, he said, although they're usually harmless.

" You probably eat more mold every day than you want to know about, " Herzog

said.

Creating a growing culture that could pose threats requires moisture, a

fairly constant temperature and a food source.

A particular favorite is sheetrock. Mold has an affinity for the paper

lining on the gypsum.

A dripping pipe or drain, a leaky roof can also cause problems. So can

ground moisture being drawn into a building, damp construction materials and

high indoor humidity, like from a hot tub. Some analysts say the push for

energy efficiency in homes keeps them from " breathing " and that can cause

moisture and mold problems.

Many molds emit " mycotoxins " that public health professionals say are " toxic

agents. " Stachybotrys molds, Herzog said are " particularly nasty little

critters. "

Some people don't react at all to the molds, according to literature from

the New York City Department of Health, generally considered a leading

expert in a public health field that has few benchmarks.

For those who do react, flulike symptoms of runny noses, fatigue, diarrhea

and irritated eyes are the most common.

But for some people, Herzog said, major skin, lung and heart problems are a

possibility.

In Ohio, the deaths of several children from bleeding lungs were blamed on

toxic mold, although the Centers for Disease Control says the cause is

inconclusive.

People blame all sorts of ailments on mold " but whether or not that's what's

making them sick is up for debate, " said Judy , an industrial

hygienist for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry who calls herself

" the mold lady. "

Still, she recommends dealing with any mold outbreaks immediately. " If you

see any mold in a home, you should remove it, " she said.

Left alone, she said, mold can actually consume much of your home, or

necessitate repairs so extensive they cost more than the home is worth.

She said she knows of one home in western Montana, worth about $50,000, that

had to be abandoned because of mold problems.

" It was a real mess, " she said.

Near Minot, N.D., last year, 100 homes from a mothballed U.S. Air Force base

were sent to an Indian reservation to replace homes infested with mold.

Dealing with it

Fortunately, most mold problems can be solved. Unfortunately, it can get

expensive.

The owners of one Bozeman condominium spent $24,900 cleaning mold from a

crawl space last year, according to court documents.

That means a mold problem can be a nightmare for homeowners, a headache for

insurance companies and a job guarantee for lawyers.

Type the words " toxic mold " into an Internet search engine and you find

companies selling cleanup skills, gas masks and air filters. And you also

find lots of advertisements from lawyers and at least one site looking to

sell ads to lawyers.

Mold is tough to get a scientific and legal handle on because there's no way

to tell how it will affect a person. What sickens one individual might have

no affect at all on somebody in the same house.

That means there are no government standards for allowable amounts of mold

spores, Billau said, and there aren't likely to be any.

There isn't enough data to establish public health guidelines for a broad

population, she said. But on the other hand, there are a lot of sick

individuals blaming mold.

" It's so difficult to prove there's a health problem, " she said. " Or to

disprove there's a health problem. "

That's where the attorneys come in.

In Austin, Texas, last year, a jury awarded a family $32 million when it

sued Farmers Insurance after their home became uninhabitable.

Farmers, the second largest insurer in that state, decided to ease out of

the homeowners insurance business there, the Associated Press reported in

November. The company cited the growing number of mold claims.

Tom Melin, a Farmers agent in Livingston, said many insurance companies are

restricting their mold coverage, or charging extra premiums for it. " Ten

years ago, the word mold wasn't in a policy, " he said.

Because some people can be sickened by mold, removing large amounts of it

requires special training and equipment, not unlike removing asbestos from a

home. Workers wear respirators and special suits. Just testing a home can

cost up to $1,500.

Ben Yanker, owner of Buffalo Restoration Inc., takes mold out of somebody's

house " at least every month, if not every week, " he said.

Ridding a crawl space of mold can cost up to $20,000, he said. Treating an

entire home -- carpets, walls, surfaces, ducts, " can be a lot of money. "

The worst mold problems often can't be seen. If a spot appears on a wall,

understand that the inside of the wall likely has much more mold.

The best approach to mold, according to Yanker and Billau, is to avoid it.

Keep your roof and your plumbing in good shape. If leaks occur, deal with

them immediately. If a water accident happens, make sure the affected area

is thoroughly and quickly dried. Make sure your attic and crawl space is

adequately vented. The same with clothes dryers and bathroom ventilators.

" Do your maintenance, " Yanker advised.

SIDEBAR: Lawsuits grow from mold

When you find mold in your house, things can get complicated fast. In May

2000, and Colleen arranged to sell their $180,000

condominium on Durston Road.

But an inspector found mold on the floor joists under the home and the deal

fell through, according to court documents on file in Gallatin District

Court.

The s contacted Ken LeClair, the builder, who " refused " to remediate

the mold from their unit in the Willowbrook Condominiums, according to the

lawsuit they filed one year ago. The suit names LeClair and Willowbrook

Condominium, Inc.

The s then found another buyer, but the deal rested on eliminating

the mold, a job that cost $24,900, the suit says, and they had to take less

money for the condo.

A consultant determined the mold probably was on the building materials when

they were installed, the suit maintains, and they were installed while wet.

The resultant spread of mold caused skin and eye problems for Colleen

, the suit says. They want all their expenses repaid, plus punitive

damages.

LeClair and Willowbrook, in their legal response, said the mold wasn't their

fault. They blamed Boise Cascade, which built what they called " defective

and unreasonably dangerous " joists, and Kenyon Noble Lumber Co., which sold

the joists.

Kenyon Noble later denied any responsibility in its legal response and said

it wants somebody held responsible for its legal bills.

Meanwhile, LeClair and Willowbrook have sued Employers Mutual Casualty Co.,

trying to force the insurer to assume responsibility for legal expenses and

possible damages.

Robin Billau, an industrial hygienist who tests homes for mold, said the

number of lawsuits over mold problems is growing around the country.

" We're seeing a lot of liability issues, " she said.

McMillion is at scottm@...

Here are some Internet resources on mold and health.

New York City Department of Health at

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/epi/moldrpt1.html.

Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/index.html.