Carlsbad City Council - Mold panel to report to the city

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Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 11:03:23 PM MST

Mold panel to report to the city

Official: Problem prevalent'

By Umut Newbury

Current-Argus Staff Writer

CARLSBAD - The black mold committee is ready to make a report to the

Carlsbad City Council.

At its second meeting Thursday, the committee brought together both victims

and the experts of black mold to discuss a local plan of action.

Among the guests of the black mold committee were Deborah DeMack, assistant

attorney general for consumer protection division; Felix Carrasco,

environmental scientist for the state Environment Department; Bob Puma of

Havona Environmental in Roswell; and Seth Warren, service representative for

Blackmon-Mooring in Lubbock, Texas.

" We are concerned about three issues, said Jeff Diamond, city councilman and

committee chairman. " Health issues, protecting the property values and

consumer protection are the areas we decided to address for the public.

Larry , also a councilman and committee member, said since the last

meeting, he researched the black mold information available from Minnesota

Department of Health.

" There is a fair amount of research done by them, and it'll help us in

putting something together locally and for the state, he said.

Diamond said the committee researched the information from Minnesota because

the New Mexico Department of Health relies on out-of-state information when

dealing with the mold issue.

" We don't want to reinvent the wheel, he said. " We are trying to get in the

forefront of this mold issue. We want to be prepared on how to handle it.

The attorney general's office, DeMack said, can assist the public when there

are problems with companies providing the testing or remediation for black

mold.

" Who's going to sell you these services and are they qualified? That's where

the attorney general's office can help you, she said. " No one wants scam

artists who ask for $30,000 when they've only done $500 worth of work. We

can contact those people and find out if they violated the Unfair Trade

Practices law.

Carrasco said the Carlsbad office of the Environment Department has been

hearing more and more complaints about black mold.

" It is prevalent in Carlsbad, he said. " We had serious incidents here

locally and there are several businesses that have mold problems.

The state Environment Department does not have the regulation or enforcement

authority about mold, Carrasco said, but it can help raise the public's

awareness on the issue.

" We are trying to develop some regulations at the state level; and at the

local level, we are here to inform you the best we can to help you avoid

scams, he said.

Puma said as a mold assessor, he took it upon himself to take accredited

courses on microbial testing.

" There is a special license for asbestos testing, GS-20, he said. " They

should come up with one for mold to and call it GS-30.

Warren said the mold remediation industry faces similar issues.

" There are no regulations on mold, it's a self-regulating industry, he said.

" My advice to the public would be to ask for different accreditation,

registration and the experience of companies they hire.

Diamond asked the black mold committee members if they would be ready to

make a recommendation to the City Council at its next meeting on Sept. 24.

" We said that's what we wanted to do through the fire department - put this

information together, said. " Putting a brochure together for the

public is the first step.

The brochure and all other lists of black mold testing and remediation

companies should also be made available on the city's Web site, Diamond

said.

" We should make all the information available through one department, so the

public can have easy access to it, said Manny Anaya, councilman and

committee member.

Carrasco said there is also a need for state legislation on black mold and

for trained city employees to assist the citizens at the local level.

" We work closely with the fire department, and I think it would be a good

idea to allow Chief Mike Reynolds' staff to go get the training they need on

this, he said.

Diamond said the committee would combine all the suggestion in a report to

the City Council and hold another meeting soon.

" We need to emphasize that this needs to be a legislative priority. We

should probably meet again before the next legislative session, he said.