Cape Cod Times It's a mold story with a new emphasis

June 10, 2002

June 10, 2002 Subscribe to the Times | E-mail this story

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It's a mold story, with a new emphasis

By DAVID KIBBE

TIMES BOSTON BUREAU

Ken Moulton didn't know what was making his family so sick. He and his wife, Virginia, constantly had sore throats and breathing problems. His wife also had chronic digestive problems, memory difficulties and hair loss.Two years ago, after seeing a television report about toxic mold, Moulton hired an air quality firm to test his ranch house in Centerville.The results were staggering: The house had high levels of four types of toxic mold. Moulton attributed the problem to faulty construction, which led to water damage."You don't know," Moulton said, recalling the feeling of helplessness. "You can't see it. It's behind the walls."Fears of toxic mold seem to be sweeping the United States, reminiscent of the radon scare in the 1980s. Some homeowners in Oregon and Texas have burned their homes to the ground. Celebrities such as Brockovich and Ed McMahon have sued builders, alleging that mold in their homes made them sick. McMahon believes the mold spores killed his dog.Nationwide, juries have doled out multimillion-dollar verdicts against home builders and insurers. A national network of attorneys, removal experts and testing labs dedicated to mold cases is springing up.Want to find a lawyer to handle your toxic mold case? It's a just a click away on the Internet.But how real is the scare?Many health experts say research hasn't established a clear link between serious illnesses and mold in homes, businesses and schools. Mold can aggravate allergies and asthmatic conditions. But most people won't experience anything worse than red eyes and a runny nose and wheezing, which should go away once the mold is removed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.During one of the first national conferences on the issue, held recently at town University in Washington, D.C., medical experts said school districts are often reacting to hype, rather than hard science, in undertaking costly mold cleanups."A great deal of money is being wasted on this issue," said one speaker, Dr. Gots, the Chicago Tribune reported. Gots is a partner with a health and environmental consulting firm in land.Other doctors aren't so sure. Exposure to large amounts of mold in the workplace - such as farmers handling moldy hay - have been linked to fevers and breathing problems.

Researchers find links

In 1999, researchers at the Mayo Clinic concluded there was a tie between mold and serious sinus infections. Other researchers believe the most dangerous mold can cause brain damage and bleeding in the lungs. Wayne Gordon, a neuropsychologist, and Dr. Eckardt Johanning, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, believe there is a relationship between mold exposure and patients who have memory, learning and concentration problems.Moulton's home tested positive for Stachybotrys chartarum, a greenish-black mold that researchers say is one of the worst.The issue is drawing the attention of government leaders and the national media. The California Senate recently passed indoor air quality standards for mold. In Congress, Rep. Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, filed a similar bill after a staff member's family become sick from mold in their home. Conyers' bill would give homeowners new legal protections and set air quality and inspection standards.Using a provision of Massachusetts law that allows citizens to submit legislation, Moulton has been pushing a bill that would increase the liability of municipal building inspectors who intentionally ignore construction problems. The current cap on municipal liability is $100,000.The Joint Committee on Health Care will hold a hearing on Moulton's bill at 10 a.m. today in Room A-1 of the Statehouse.

Bill would create task force

State Sen. O'Leary, D-Barnstable, recently filed a bill that would create a state Department of Public Health task force to look at air quality standards, home-buyer notification, and laws in other states. O'Leary was swayed by Moulton and other activists who have lobbied on Beacon Hill.O'Leary said the study commission could be "the beginning of broader legislation if there's grounds for it ... Some people dismiss it out of hand as an overreaction."One of the activists who spoke to O'Leary was Mulvey son, who worked in Boston City Hall for 12 years. She couldn't figure out why she constantly battled colds and the flu."I would be so dog-tired I could barely move," she said.Two years ago, an air test in her office showed high levels of bacteria. The 1967 Government Center complex has long been criticized for bad air quality, with many branding it a "sick building." son said she had to leave her job as chief of staff to a city councilor because of it."We used to fight over the last box of Kleenex," she remembered.son has been pressing for state government to take action, and she supports O'Leary's bill.

Government agencies blamed

Moulton thinks government agencies already have enough information to know that toxic mold is dangerous. He said the state should get tough on home builders and inspectors, whom he blames for allowing the mold problems to develop in his Centerville house.Moulton has been involved in a lengthy dispute with the town of Barnstable and state building inspectors over his home. Moulton said he discovered leaks and structural problems almost as soon as he moved in. He alleges the state caused more problems when it renovated the house for his son, who is physically and mentally handicapped."You need to address the issue of how the mold gets there, and how do you prevent it," he said.Making it worse, many insurers won't cover mold-related problems if they are related to so-called maintenance issues, such as a leaky roof. Moulton's house, which was built in 1988, has bowed walls and sagging, rotting floors. Moulton said he sued the home contractor and won a jury award, but the contractor declared bankruptcy.Moulton, a computer consultant, can't afford to abandon his house or make extensive repairs, so he continues living in the home with his wife, their two children and their granddaughter. Moulton and his wife have become nationally known activists on toxic mold. They are co-presidents of the Northeast chapter of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings.He said mold continues to form in his house from structural problems and water damage. He can smell the mold whenever it rains."We're too old to start over," Moulton said. "Everything in the American dream, we have lost. This is the new enemy within our homes."

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