Home Sick Home

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Home Sick Home: Part 1

Mike Donahue, KOIN 6 News

PORTLAND, Posted 5:34 p.m. PDT April 26, 2000 -- Mold is nothing to sneeze

at. Some indoor molds produce extremely potent toxins.

Airborne spores are so small that they can enter your lungs and they're

everywhere -- invading through every tiny crack, crevice and leaky drain.

Mike Donahue found several studies that show a strong relationship between

indoor molds and cancer.

Does that scare you? It looks like a new home, under construction, when, in

fact, it's a 7-year-old house in Forest Grove being destroyed and rebuilt.

A colony of mold growing in 95 percent humidity is trapped between the

sheetrock and insulation.

Improper installation in a custom home, which became a terrarium, enveloped

in moisture and rotting away.

The stucco went on before the house was waterproofed. The flooring in the

decks is almost gone.

In another part of the metro area, a newborn baby sleeps in an apartment

with mold growing on the walls. It's in the closets, too, below and above,

on the window sills and behind the couch.

In the sunlight, it's green mold, but turns white on clothing.

The landlord says he's replacing recalled siding, but won't admit that

there's a mold problem.

Owners of the million-dollar home are facing a half-million in repairs, and

are getting nowhere with insurance companies.

He was bothered by breathing problems. Her red eyes watered constantly, but

their symptoms disappeared when they evacuated their home.

The couple could afford to move to another home and to pay for repairs, but

many people can't. Your homeowner's policy doesn't cover mold.

If you find it on your pillow, though, it's time to seek professional help.

Aspergillus penicillium may be growing in your ceiling. A checkup now could

prevent your home from reaching critical condition later.

It is possible to clean the items inside that house, but the process is very

expensive.

The family has acquired an attorney and is considering a lawsuit to cover a

loss they estimate at $250,000.

Thursday night, Mike will take us into apartments where toxic mold has

invaded.

Home Sick Home: Part 2

Mike Donahue, KOIN 6 News

PORTLAND, Posted 5:12 p.m. PDT April 27, 2000 -- Mold can infect your

home -- and it can infect you. It's all around us, looking for any crack,

crevice or damp corner.

Mike Donahue has seen the evidence firsthand, and has been inside some badly

infested homes.

Mold spores are tenacious. They climb up walls, crawl under carpets and even

fly through the air. Three very toxic varieties can make you sick -- or

worse.

Stachybotrys atra. A mold so potent, a doctor in Ohio linked it to the

deaths of 10 infants.

Thanks to the floods of '96, stachybotrys grows here too, in all those

flooded basements that weren't cleaned properly.

" That's really where it starts. People actually have an area infected, not

properly maintained and it spreads throughout the home, " of

the American Lung Association says.

Fortunately, for little Isaac Mason, most black molds are not stachybotrys.

But that doesn't mean a more common variety can't make him sick. And, she

says, it grew despite daily cleaning with a solution of bleach and water.

That's dry rot (pictured).

In the master bedroom, mold is creeping across the ceiling.

Those are her husband's " new " Doc Marten's. She found them with her wedding

shoes, in boxes, in the back of the closet, covered with mold. And then

there's that growth behind the nightstand.

But, therein lies the Masons' problem. They can't get their apartment's

owner to do any construction work.

says 70 percent of the complaints she receives come from

apartment tenants. This complex in ville is getting new siding and

metal flashing, a barrier against moisture.

' family lives in these apartments, with the mold. They're

blaming it for a variety of severe symptoms. is surrounded by mold, so

he sleeps on the couch. gets bloody noses. So does his sister -- and

worse.

is saving evidence for a lawsuit. He's consulted with doctors and

wants his landlord to admit responsibility. People with weakened immune

systems, allergies and heart problems are especially susceptible to attack

from molds.

More research is needed because many people are in denial about the effects

of mold, including insurance companies, landlords, health departments and

building contractors.

On Friday, Mike will show you a million dollar home, all but destroyed by

mold.

Mike Donahue, Special to Channel 6000