Mold: A Growing Problem July 18th hearing

[Guest guest]

http://financialservices.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail & hearing=156

Subcommittees on Housing and Community Opportunity And Oversight and

Investigations

Joint Hearing entitled " Mold: A Growing Problem "

Thursday, July 18, 2002

Financial Services Joint Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and

Subcommittee on Housing

and Community Opportunity Hearing on Mold: a growing problem

Opening Statement by Subcommittee Chair, Sue

July 18, 2002; 2:00 p.m.; 2128 Rayburn

In the preparation for this hearing I have spoken to many of my friends and

colleagues

about the issue of mold damage in commercial and private properties and

reports of

adverse health effects. While there are many who are aware of the

seriousness of this

issue there are also many who are unaware of the growing scope of this

problem. In an

effort to increase all of our knowledge Chairwoman Roukema, Ranking Members

Gutierrez, and I have agreed to hold this joint hearing.

In my view, one issue is with the lack of scientific evidence as to the

direct correlation

between mold damage and adverse health effects. Because of this uncertainty

homeowners fear grows without any definitive evidence of what " " safe or

potentially

dangerous " " levels of mold may be.

In addition, the uncertainty of this issue has created a window of

opportunity for

unethical lawyers and contractors to prey upon vulnerable populations. As

evidence,

without objection, I''m going to make a part of the record a copy of a May

17 New York

Post article entitled " " Costly Lawyer Cashes in on ''Mold; Money. " " This

article tells the

story of lawyer who settled a class action lawsuit for $1.7 million, taking

more that half

of the money for himself and left the families with an average of one

thousand dollars

each. The part of the article that alarmed me the most was this -- quote

" " The money he

offered me wasn't even enough to buy a decent tombstone for my daughter, " "

said 81

year-old Mattie Quailey, whose daughter, Lorraine Woods, 58 died in 1998

from alleged

prolonged exposure to molds.. " " -- end quote.

All of us need to step back and look at the facts surrounding this issue,

and do so in a

coordinated manner. The witnesses we have here at the table today represent

a broad

cross-section of the interested parties in the mold debate. By working

together, I hope we

will be able to find some answers in an area where there are still large

numbers of

unanswered questions.

Let me state unequivocally that all of us have great sympathy for those who

are suffering

health problems of any kind, no matter what the cause. I would personally

urge property

owners to do everything they can to protect their investments - and most

importantly,

their families -- from mold infestation.

At the same time, this Congress must assess the true nature of the mold

issue before

rushing into legislative action. In the process of preparing for this

hearing, my staff

interviewed numerous medical experts who emphasized that mold simply cannot

be

directly linked to so many of the serious medical conditions for which it

has been blamed.

There are many other causes that can be cited for the symptoms people blame

on mold:

hypersensitivity, allergies, viruses, and deficiencies of the immune system.

As we will hear this afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control is currently

working with

other institutions to study this issue and provide more information on the

true health

effects of mold infestation. It is imperative that we look to the nations

medical research

institutions to help us separate legitimate claims from what some have

termed " mold

hysteria. " Ultimately, we are going to need better scientific standards and

safety

education to help consumers and industry identify legitimate dangers to

immediately

begin compensation and remediation.

We are holding this hearing to help us separate the facts from the myths

surrounding the

recent dramatic rise in mold claims and its reported catastrophic effects.

While many

Americans are unaware of potential dangers from untreated mold growth in

commercial

and private properties, the lack of scientific standards and documentation

only adds to the

confusion we all feel when confronted by potential dangers of substances we

grew up to

believe were harmless.

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