Good Morning,

This week's lead photo is Fusarium spp. fom the North Dakota State University website.

Coming soon: reviews of: My Office is Killing Me! by Jeffrey May, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006; The Triumph of the Fungi - A Rotten History, by Nicholas P. Money, PhD, Oxford University Press, 2007.

Hot tips on mold? Please e- mail them to Cynthia A. Coulter Mulvihill at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

It is unknown at this point exactly what types of mold are growing in the building or even where it is located because reports are still coming in, said Pleasant View administrator Katy Smith. She said she isn't sure how the "moisture intrusion" -- the introduction of water that allowed mold to grow -- occurred, nor how long removal of the mold might take.

After the shock wore off and looking back at the work that has been done by both of these men... I know I've been set up. They have essentially done as little as possible to cover themselves, but also have stated, "Look, we've done the work... the other side hasn't responded properly, you just need to sue."

Of course if I sue, they get more money...

Click here for Got any ideas or suggestions on what I should do next about mold problems in my unit? Please write me - I live in a homeowners association in Austin, Texas (AHRC News Services, CA - Sep 23, 2006)

Tamara Slovensky retained Friedman and Cutter in 2000 to prosecute her toxic mold personal injury suit against Sequioa Fairways Apartments. Slovensky, one of many other tenants and former tenants similarly suing the Fairways, allegedly suffered from headaches, respiratory ailments, chronic fatigue, and various other health problems due to toxic mold exposure while living at the apartments.

Click here for Staleness of Underlying Claim Fatal to Mold Malpractice Suit—C.A. (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA - Sep 20, 2006)

Workmen are now removing the brick exterior, replacing windows and wrapping Nasir's house in a waterproof material. Finally, a new brick exterior will be laid. It's a familiar story in The Enclave, a desirable south Lexington neighborhood of 148 houses that has been turned into a construction zone of debris containers and scaffolding. Most of the houses, which sell for up to $240,000, have suffered water damage, and Beazer Homes -- which bought the company that built the subdivision -- is in the middle of massive repairs. The company -- and many residents -- say Beazer is doing the right thing by fixing a problem in homes it didn't actually build.

Click here for Leaks plague Beaumont homes - Developer, Not Homeowners, Initiates Lawsuit (Kentucky.com, KY - Sep 23, 2006)

Tenants, it states, were forced to live in uninhabitable conditions created by infestations of mice, cockroaches, bats, termites, mold and mildew, as well as worries about lead-based-paint poisoning and collapsing walls and ceilings, including at least one toilet sinking through a second-story floor.

Click here for Civil-rights complaint arising from Mold filed on Hawthorne (Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - Sep 21, 2006)

Following Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans homes remained flooded for weeks, promoting heavy mold growth. These three New Orleans homes were selected for the study based on their levels of flood water, whether they previously were structurally sound, and if they were located in an area likely to be rebuilt. The study examined the extent to which homes that experienced significant and prolonged exposure to flood waters could be satisfactorily cleaned to enable reconstruction. Homes were inspected for roof leakage, standing water and the extent of mold throughout their interiors, as well as heating ventilation and air conditioning.

Click here for Household levels of mold following Hurricane Katrina surpass some agricultural environments - Mold and bacteria levels in New Orleans homes warrant use of strong respiratory protection (EurekAlert, DC - Sep 22, 2006)

Whereas galf antigens and BG are released during logarithmic growth, DNA is released only after mycelium breakdown. During early logarithmic growth, galf antigens seem to be released somewhat earlier than BG. Furthermore, galf antigen concentrations of more than 120,000 times the serum cutoff value (0.5 ng/ml) can be measured, while BG concentrations reach a value only 978 times the serum cutoff value (60 pg/ml). During lytical growth, release of galf antigens further increased to a maximum level, which depended on pH. After that, the concentration of galf antigens stayed high (pH 7.4) or decreased to zero within 4 days (pH 5.0). In contrast to galf antigens, BG concentration decreased after 1 day of growth. The decrease of galf components seems to be due to the enzyme beta-galactofuranosidase, which is able to destroy galf epitopes and whose activity fluctuates in the culture filtrates in parallel with galf antigen concentration. Fungal DNA seems to be released only due to autolysis caused by nutrient limitation. In conclusion, several factors clearly influence the release of surrogate markers in vitro. These same factors might also play a role at the infection site of Aspergillus disease in humans.

Photo: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Click here for Mold Education: In vitro release by Aspergillus fumigatus of galactofuranose antigens, 1,3-beta-D-glucan, and DNA, surrogate markers used for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis. (J Clin Microbiol. 2006 May;44(5):1711-8.)

Khalili and Bardana conducted a retrospective review of 50 cases of possible mold-induced toxic effects and attempted to identify other, unrecognized conditions that could explain the presenting symptoms. They noted 3 well-accepted mechanisms of mold-induced disease: allergy, infection, and oral toxicosis. In addition, they characterized a subgroup of patients with symptoms suggestive of an aero- irritation-mediated mechanism.

Click here for Mold Education: Inhalational Mold Toxicity: Fact or Fiction? A Clinical Review of 50 Cases (Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology - September 2005 ( Volume 95, Number 3 ))

The Standard-Speaker obtained a copy of the report last week. Guesto said it had been available for public inspection since its release last year. “Nobody ever bothered to ask for it,” Guesto said. The four- page report is dated Oct 27, 2005. It is accompanied by 15 8- by 10-inch pictures of spots in the building where the firm states the mold infestation was particularly bad.

Click here for Court Mold: Report: Annex mold widespread (Standard Speaker, PA - Sep 25, 2006)

Invasive fungal infections most often occur in people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, and are increasingly caused by moulds such as Aspergillus. IFIs are a leading cause of death in these high-risk populations. Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant or chemotherapy for hematological malignancies such as acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who develop IFIs have a high mortality rate of 60-90 percent.(1)

Photo: Aspergillus spp.

Click here for Mold & Medicine: Schering-Plough Announces FDA Approval Of NOXAFIL(R) (Posaconazole) For Prevention Of Invasive Fungal Infections (Medical News Today, UK - Sep 19, 2006)

School officials first suspected Lawrence had mold two weeks ago when workers found stains on the school's roof. A consultant confirmed the mold discovery Friday morning, said the district's assistant superintendent of facilities planning Art Hand.

Click here for School Mold: Mold found at Lodi school; affected areas closed until inspection, repairs finished (Lodi News-Sentinel, CA - Sep 23, 2006)

Ms. Mulvihill's confidential services include, depending on who she is retained by, and when:

• Analysis of property damage and personal injuries
• Conducting a property inspection
• Reviewing medical records
• Determination of the potential for a causal link between mycological issues and personal injuries
• Research of what needs to be done to prove -- or disprove -- property damage, personal injuries, and their causal links
• Determination what entity or entities might have caused property damage
• Reviewing insurance policies to determine if insurance coverage is available for the claims
• Determination what kind of expert or experts need to be retained to prove or disprove a case
• Preparation of expert witnesses for depositions
• Preparation of written discovery
• Preparation of attorneys for questioning of expert witnesses

Click here for Mold Professionals: Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill (Mold Litigation Consulting)