Good Morning,

This week's photo is of Stachybotrys chartarum from www.healthandenergy.com.

Check out the "For Fun" section -- I've linked to a website that reports Gang Land (as in the Mafia) news.

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.

There has been a spate of stories recently about toxic mold, how in some cases the building has to be burned down to stop the rampant mold. Some houses may indeed have a major problem, but most do not, and in most cases the homeowner can handle what mold is there and keep it from growing.

Click here for: Keep a house dry, ventilated to stop mold (Boston Globe - Feb 16, 2005)

Vancouver, CA (PRWEB) February 14, 2005 -- Mold infestation in a new home or commercial building is common. The mold problem can cause severe health problems for occupants as well as substantially reduce the fair market value of the structure because moldy homes and buildings are now more difficult to sell or rent.

Click here for: How to Build a Mold-Safe Home or Commercial Building (Emediawire, WA - Feb 14, 2005)

AAI said that Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has said that he wants to protect property owners, they also quoted the commissioner as saying he would consider "placing (in insurance plans) limits for the cost of mold remediation."

Click here for: AAI, Ga. Insurance Commission Working to Develop Mold Remediation Limits (Insurance Journal - Feb 21, 2005)

For six months during the clean-up, Crane breathed air inside rooms whose walls were covered in mold. He soon developed breathing problems, which eventually led to him losing 50 percent of his lung capacity.

Click here for: Mold not always root of illness Study: Other indoor allergens often culprit (Cincinnati Enquirer, OH - Feb 20, 2005)

I've discussed these questions before, but they keep coming in and the problem appears to be very widespread, so here is an update. I recommend a special roof cleaner such as Shingle Shield (www.shingleshield.com). This cleaner is mixed with water and applied with a garden-type sprayer. Start by thoroughly wetting the streaks, and then spray the entire roof, starting at the bottom edge and working to the top. The cleaner is allowed to work for 15 to 20 minutes, and then is rinsed off with a strong spray of water from a hose. A pressure washer can be used if it can be set to a maximum pressure of 500 pounds per square inch.

Click here for: Zinc Strips on Roof Retard Mold Formation (Bradenton Herald, FL - Feb 20, 2005)

In addition, the previous owner buried rolls of Fiberglas insulation in the yard, put all excess building materials in the crawlspace under the house, left a spaghetti mess of electrical wiring from the 1930s in the attic, installed kitchen cabinets over a large hole in the floor (so they filled up with mildew and mold and I had to rip them out), neglected to install a water shutoff valve, left a leaking water drain pipe under the house, installed drywall such that the tape shows through on every wall, neglected to seal the kitchen tile floor, didn't prime the outside of the house and it's unclear if she used outdoor paint. Do I have any recourse?

Click here for: What to do about defects in 'newly renovated' home (Baltimore Sun - Feb 20, 2005)

Although subject to debate about the family of the mold, www.doctorfungus.com lists Stachybotrys echinata / Notes: The correct genus for this species has been a subject of some debate. Li D-W, Yang CS, Haugland R and Vesper S. 2003. A new species of Memnoniella. Mycotaxon 135:253-257 suggest that it should be Memnionella echinata. However, echinata can form both conidia in chains (Memnoniella) and conidia in balls (Stachybotrys). Further, the molecular data in Haugland RA, SJ Vesper, SM Harmon. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships of Memnoniella and Stachybotrys species and evaluation of morphological features for Memnoniella species identification. Mycologia 93(1):54-65 suggests that echinata should be in Stachybotrys. Thus our classification.

Click here for Mold Education: Stachybotrys echinata

One employee told News Channel 8 the conditions are "criminal", complaining many are suffering from respiratory problems.

Click here for Court Mold: New Haven Superior Court concerned about their health (WTNH, CT - Feb 9, 2005)

Falasca Mechanical of Vineland bid $6,156,739 to outfit Chestnut Ridge Middle School with a new HVAC system. The company also bid $6,191,739 to do the same work at Orchard Valley Middle School.

Click here for School Mold: Company Awarded $12 Mil. Contract to Fix Mold (Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ - Feb 15, 2005)

The cap amount is below the average mold claim of $17,000 in Texas, where a much smaller cap had been requested. The Alabama Insurance Service Office Inc., a rating organization that represents several hundred insurers, requested the cap on mold damage claims.

Click here for Mold & Insurance: Ala. Caps Mold Damage Claims; Fla. Public Forum Discusses Mold Coverage (Insurance Journal - Feb 14, 2005)

"The pace has been slowed by all of the lawsuits and countersuits and the need for testing. While I understand why the defendants want to do all this testing, I think it could be done in a more expeditious manner," Wildes said. "We have done everything we can to move the litigation forward and move towards a settlement."

Click here for Mold Litigation: Residential life hopes to finally move Carrollton residents onto seventh floor (Maroon, LA - Feb 17, 2005)

Founded in 1994, Microban International manufactures and distributes antimicrobial protection and durable antibacterial and antifungal solutions for consumer, industrial and medical products around the world. The company's EPA-registered Microban(R) antimicrobial technologies are integrated into the manufacturing processes of a wide range of materials, including polymers, textiles, coatings, paper, adhesives and ceramic glazes to provide durable protection for the lifetime of the protected product.

Click here for Mold & Technology: TA Associates Completes Minority Investment in Microban International (Fininfo, France - Feb 17, 2005)

Click here for Mold Seminars: Johns Hopkins, February 25, 2005 - "Challenging the Paradigm of Dust Mite Allergen and Mold Exposure: What the Inner City Has Taught Us,"

For more information, call 617-338-0815. Space is limited.

Click here for Free Mold Abatement Training in Boston (Allston-Brighton TAB, MA - Feb 18, 2005)

John A. (Junior) Gotti became the acting Gambino family boss when his father, John J. Gotti, was jailed for life following his racketeering and murder conviction in 1992. Junior, who used to visit his dad regularly at the federal prison in Marion, Illinois, has come a long way since 1986, when he threatened to "start choppin' heads off" if a New York Daily News reporter and photographer didn't abandon a stakeout of his father's Howard Beach, Queens home. He's got himself a nice home, plenty of cash, and despite some hassles with the law, did quite well for himself - - at least up until January, 1998 when he was hit with racketeering charges.

Click here For Fun: Gang Land News -- Catch up on your favorite wise guys