HomeOwners for Better Building

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Monday Morning Mold January 24, 2005

Mold in the Media

January 24, 2005

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Mold Stories

-- Energy Advisor: Kill bedroom closet mold by chasing off moisture (The Columbian, WA - Jan 23, 2005)

-- 25 Steps for Effective Toxic Mold Removal, Remediation, and Abatement (WebWire, GA - Jan 22, 2005)

-- Orange County [California] Woman Settles Water Damage/Mold Claim for $550,000.00 (Yahoo News - Jan 18, 2005)

-- MOLD FACTS (Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - Jan 17, 2005)

-- State expected to require licenses for contractors (Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA - Jan 16, 2005)

-- Ky. College Professors Latest to Claim Health Effects From Mold Contamination (Insurance Journal - Jan 17, 2005)

-- Mold Education: EVRX Now Offering Continuing Education Courses in Mold Remediation and Testing (Business Wire, CA - Jan 21, 2005)

-- Court Mold: Employees decry 'sick' courthouse (Cambridge Chronicle, MA - Jan 20, 2005)

-- School Mold Follow Up: Insurance might not cover mold at PV High - District consulting legal advice on cost (Register-Pajaronian, CA - Jan 20, 2005)

-- Mold & Insurance: In hindsight, flood insurance looks like good idea - Homeowners say they were told they didn't need coverage (Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Jan 15, 2005)

-- Mold & Technology: Interior Wallboard offers moisture and mold resistance - G-P Gypsum Introduces Next Generation Densarmor Plus Paperless Interior Wallboard (Industrial News Room, NY - Jan 17, 2005)

-- Mold & Technology: WBUY TV and Move-It NZ Come Together to Promote 'Move-It Moss and Mold Remover' (ArriveNet, CO - Jan 21, 2005)

-- For Fun: From the Folks Who Gave You "This Land", "SECOND TERM"

Good Morning,

This week's photo is a photomicrograph (1000X) of a fine root from Norway spruce showing the presence of myccorhizae fungi from the University of Iowa's website. Myccorhizae fungi is a good fungi -- it is in a symbiotic relationship with the plants it grows with.

Hot tips on mold? Please let me know. Send information to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Cynthia Coulter Mulvihihll, Esq Hyde Mulvihill APC 216 W. Foothill Boulevard Monrovia CA 91016.

Energy Advisor: Kill bedroom closet mold by chasing off moisture (The Columbian, WA - Jan 23, 2005)

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Q: The shoes in my bedroom closet are starting to get a white mold on them. The closet smells a little musty, but there are no other signs of mold. I checked the plumbing under the house and there are no leaks. But the dirt under my house is very wet, especially near the foundation vents. Do you have any advice?

A: To thrive, mold and mildew must have a food source (your shoes), oxygen and moisture. To control mold you need to remove one of these essential needs. Since your closet has both food and oxygen for mold to grow, you have to control the moisture.

Click here for: Energy Advisor: Kill bedroom closet mold by chasing off moisture (The Columbian, WA - Jan 23, 2005)

25 Steps for Effective Toxic Mold Removal, Remediation, and Abatement (WebWire, GA - Jan 22, 2005)

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VANCOUVER, CANADA. For safe and effective toxic mold removal, remediation, and abatement, DangerBusters recommends that homeowners, landlords, other property owners, and employers follow 25 steps to kill, remove, and prevent toxic mold.

Toxic molds and fungi are a significant source of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that create indoor air-quality problems. Toxic mold growth produces dangerous mycotoxins and infectious airborne mold spores which often cause serious health problems to residents and workers.

Click here for: 25 Steps for Effective Toxic Mold Removal, Remediation, and Abatement (WebWire, GA - Jan 22, 2005)

Orange County [California] Woman Settles Water Damage/Mold Claim for $550,000.00 (Yahoo News - Jan 18, 2005)

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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Court B. Purdy and Andrew Gagen, with the firm of Wentworth, Paoli & Purdy located in Newport Beach represented an Orange County woman who became seriously ill as a result of exposure to toxic mold and other biological contaminants in her Huntington Beach home. Today, it was announced that the case has settled for a total of $550,000.00.

Attorneys Purdy and Gagen represented Niko Black, in a lawsuit against the owner of her Home located at 5061 Warner Ave., Unit C, Huntington Beach, California 92649. The home was rented to her by Defendant South Warner Business Center (SWBC). As a result of lack of maintenance by SWBC and its agent, Ronald Hseuh (including a failure to inspect the premises and/or conduct preventive maintenance), the home suffered water damage and elevated levels of toxic mold growth which slowly poisoned Ms. Black, causing her to suffer significant and life long personal injuries.

Click here for: Orange County [California] Woman Settles Water Damage/Mold Claim for $550,000.00 (Yahoo News - Jan 18, 2005)

MOLD FACTS (Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - Jan 17, 2005)

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>Molds are types of fungi. They grow in the natural environment. Molds are common in buildings and homes. >Mold is almost everywhere, floating in the air and on all surfaces. People are exposed to mold at all times.

>Mold needs moisture to grow. Indoors, mold growth can be found where humidity levels are high, as in Florida. Mold often is a result of flooding, condensation, water leaks and plumbing leaks.

Click here for: MOLD FACTS (Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - Jan 17, 2005)

State expected to require licenses for contractors (Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA - Jan 16, 2005)

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Homeowners ripped off by incompetent or dishonest contractors in Georgia have little power to get repairs or even revenge. Even if a homeowner gambles the expense of a lawsuit against a shoddy builder and wins, there's no guarantee the homeowner will be able to put him out of business.

Georgia is the only state in the Southeast, from Louisiana to Virginia, that doesn't license contractors. A builder can walk out of a courtroom a loser and take the next job he can talk himself into.

Click here for: State expected to require licenses for contractors (Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA - Jan 16, 2005)

Ky. College Professors Latest to Claim Health Effects From Mold Contamination (Insurance Journal - Jan 17, 2005)

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College professors in Kentucky have joined the ranks of Americans claiming to suffer from the health effects of mold contamination. Faculty, including two nursing lab faculty members, at Mayville Community College complained of respiratory ailments, souring an investigation that uncovered several forms of mold in the sections of the college's heating, ventilation, air conditioning system as well as inside walls, the Maysville Ledger- Independent reported.

Some foes of the mold remediation industry contend there are no widespread ill effect from mold contamination, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Environmental Protection Agency warn of health impacts.

Click here for Ky. College Professors Latest to Claim Health Effects From Mold Contamination (Insurance Journal - Jan 17, 2005)

Mold Education: EVRX Now Offering Continuing Education Courses in Mold Remediation and Testing (Business Wire, CA - Jan 21, 2005)

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2005--EnvironmentalRx (EVRX.PK) is pleased to announce EVRX will now be offering continuing education in mold remediation and testing. This course will be for professionals dealing with indoor air quality as well as attorneys, architects and other corporate individuals in various industries. Training will be located in Conroe, Texas at a selected educational facility.

EnvironmentalRx is a multi faceted company that encompasses health related services, indoor air quality, mold testing/remediation products and information technology. The company is organized around indoor air quality, pollutant pathways and the methodology to overcome allergic, pathogenic and carcinogenic disease related to microorganisms. Each division is serviced at the EVRX clinics springing up nationwide in locations such as Conroe, Texas and Long Island, N.Y.

Click here for Mold Education: EVRX Now Offering Continuing Education Courses in Mold Remediation and Testing (Business Wire, CA - Jan 21, 2005)

Court Mold: Employees decry 'sick' courthouse (Cambridge Chronicle, MA - Jan 20, 2005)

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Cantabrigians like Andrew Johnson who work in the county courthouse say they fear for their lives because of alleged contamination from asbestos, a fiber known to cause cancer.

"I have kids; in 20 years I don't want to be dead," said Johnson, who lives in Central Square and has worked at the courthouse for 12 years. "A lot of people get sick here ... That's why I'm standing out in the rain today."

Click here for Court Mold: Employees decry 'sick' courthouse (Cambridge Chronicle, MA - Jan 20, 2005)

School Mold Follow Up: Insurance might not cover mold at PV High - District consulting legal advice on cost (Register-Pajaronian, CA - Jan 20, 2005)

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Costly mold removal and cleanup at Pajaro Valley High School may not be covered in the school district's insurance plan, possibly saddling the district with at least part of the $1.6 million bill.

The district is consulting legal advice, but so far the insurance company has not written a check, Pajaro Valley Unified School District Associate Superintendent Terry McHenry said. "They don't think we're insured for what happened," McHenry said.

Click here for School Mold Follow Up: Insurance might not cover mold at PV High - District consulting legal advice on cost (Register-Pajaronian, CA - Jan 20, 2005)

Mold & Insurance: In hindsight, flood insurance looks like good idea - Homeowners say they were told they didn't need coverage (Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Jan 15, 2005)

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As he stood on the sloppy mound of silt that used to be his back yard, Caliente resident Evan Schimbeck recalled when he bought his house near the Meadow Valley Wash last year.

At the time, his insurance agent and mortgage lender told him he didn't need flood insurance. "They told us we weren't in a flood plain," Schimbeck said with a laugh earlier this week.

Click here for Mold & Insurance: In hindsight, flood insurance looks like good idea - Homeowners say they were told they didn't need coverage (Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Jan 15, 2005)

Mold & Technology: Interior Wallboard offers moisture and mold resistance - G-P Gypsum Introduces Next Generation Densarmor Plus Paperless Interior Wallboard (Industrial News Room, NY - Jan 17, 2005)

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ATLANTA - G-P Gypsum introduces the next generation of DensArmor Plus, the company's moisture- and mold-resistant paperless interior wallboard. Enhanced DensArmor Plus panels feature a new glass mat facing that finishes like paper-faced wallboard. The result is the first completely paperless interior wallboard that offers moisture and mold resistance and finishes easily.

In 2002, G-P Gypsum made history with the introduction of the industry's first moisture-and mold- resistant interior wallboard. By removing the organic paper face and back found on standard wallboard and replacing both with inorganic glass mats, the company succeeded in developing the only paperless interior wallboard product offered in the market that effectively eliminates a known food source for mold.

Click here for Mold & Technology: Interior Wallboard offers moisture and mold resistance - G-P Gypsum Introduces Next Generation Densarmor Plus Paperless Interior Wallboard (Industrial News Room, NY - Jan 17, 2005)

Mold & Technology: WBUY TV and Move-It NZ Come Together to Promote 'Move-It Moss and Mold Remover' (ArriveNet, CO - Jan 21, 2005)

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ORANGEBURG, N.Y., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- WBUY TV, a national multimedia and television Production Company and Move-It NZ, a New Zealand based creator of the 100% biodegradable mold and moss remover are proud to announce a cooperative marketing venture, to promote Move-It Moss and Mold Remover through internet shopping, direct response TV commercials and various other venues.

WBUY TV and Move-It NZ will use internet shopping, direct response TV commercials and various other venues to bring to the American consumer a new environmentally safe Mold and Moss Remover for indoor and outdoor use. Move-It Moss and Mold remover is bleach free and biodegradable which make it ideal for everyday cleaning. It is safe around plants and animals and can be used on concrete, timber, tiles, ceramics, and vinyl, painted surfaces, roofing, inside the home, in the shower and on washable fabrics and surfaces. Move-It has been formulated to instantly kill the spores that cause the growth of moss, mold and lichen. Just spray it on the mold /moss infested areas and rinse or wipe it with a damp cloth.

Click here for Mold & Technology: WBUY TV and Move-It NZ Come Together to Promote 'Move-It Moss and Mold Remover' (ArriveNet, CO - Jan 21, 2005)

For Fun: From the Folks Who Gave You "This Land", "SECOND TERM"

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