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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Monday Morning Mold September 5, 2005
Mold in the Media September 5, 2005
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Mold Stories - from Cynthia Anne Coulter (Mulvihill) of Hyde Mulvihill, APC
-- Gulf Coast faces new health risks, Including Mold (myDNA.com, TX - Sep 1, 2005)
-- ASSE Offers Business Resumption Safety Checklist in the Aftermath of Katrina (Homeland Response, OH - Sep 1, 2005)
-- Pepperell mold house victim to testify against owner's bankruptcy (Pepperell Free Press, MA - Sep 2, 2005)
-- Yucaipa Group of 14 Homeowners Wins Mold Judgment of $1.3 million (San Bernardino Sun, CA - Sep 2, 2005)
-- Dream home turns to nightmare (Durango Herald, CO - Aug 31, 2005)
-- Judge upholds $140,000 award in Oswego mold lawsuit (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Aug 31, 2005)
-- Mold Education: "Fact Sheet: Environmental Protection Agency: Flood Cleanup - Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems"
-- School Mold: Estero High: Work on AC system set back After Failure Causes Mold in 48 Hours (Bonitanews, FL - Sep 3, 2005)
-- Court Mold: Martin, St. Lucie Energy Conservation May Cause Mold in Courthouse (Palm Beach Post, FL - Sep 1, 2005)
-- Mold & Insurance: Storm Losses Could Reach $100 Billion - Insurance will cover a fraction of what may be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. (Los Angeles Times, CA - Sep 3, 2005)
-- Mold & Legislation: Florida's Mold: In the Eye of the Hurricane (Emediawire, WA - Sep 1, 2005)
-- Mold & Katrina Experts: Hurricane Katrina: Experts Available To Lend Perspective On Its Terrible Aftermath (Saint Louis University, MO - Sep 2, 2005)
-- Mold & Technology: Amidst frenzied hurricane relief, planners consider future of Gulf Coast, Will Use Advance Techniques to Determine the Presence of Mold (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA - Aug 31, 2005)
-- For Fun: The Onion
-- Mold Investigation: Clark Seif Clark, Inc.
Good Morning,
In getting this week's Monday Morning Mold ready, I thought that I would be linking a lot of articles about Hurricane Katrina. There isn't a whole lot about the issue of mold yet, except, of course, articles that mention it will be a problem. I am sure in the coming weeks, there will be plenty on the issue, just as there were last year with the four hurricanes that hit the southern United States. For anyone reading this who got hit hard with the storm and needs to know what to do immediately to help prevent mold, Lowe's (www.lowes.com) has a great section on Severe Weather and Natural Disaster.
This week's blog is Open Closed Military Bases to Our Hurricane Refugees. This week's photo is of a Bracket fungus basidiocarp (fruiting body) by Dennis Kunkel. Click here for gallery prints of this photo, unframed and framed, are available beginning at $27.95.
Hot tips on mold? Please let me know. Send information to
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, Cynthia Coulter Mulvihihll, Esq Hyde Mulvihill APC 216 W. Foothill Boulevard Monrovia CA 91016. |
Gulf Coast faces new health risks, Including Mold (myDNA.com, TX - Sep 1, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina is readily apparent from the dramatic aerial views of home, building and property destruction. While the immediate focus of emergency workers has been on saving lives and unfortunately retrieving the dead, a less visible, but potentially long-lasting round of health threats emerge in the form of waterborne diseases.
Experts warn that as sewage plants have been overrun by the flood the water is likely contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites - E. coli, cholera, salmonella, dysentery and hepatitis A - any of which can cause potentially life-threatening diarrhea and stomach infections. There is also fear that the water is or soon will be contaminated by toxic chemicals from gasoline, industrial wastes, agricultural runoff and garbage.
Click here for: Gulf Coast faces new health risks, Including Mold (myDNA.com, TX - Sep 1, 2005) |
ASSE Offers Business Resumption Safety Checklist in the Aftermath of Katrina (Homeland Response, OH - Sep 1, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  There is no one-size-fits-all solution for business resumption following a disaster. However, the American Society of Safety Engineers is offering these tips for resuming business following some type of disaster in which systems or buildings could have been compromised.
Following a disaster, all businesses should do a hazard evaluation and assessment performed by an occupational safety professional. A list of what needs to be checked follows.
Click here for: ASSE Offers Business Resumption Safety Checklist in the Aftermath of Katrina (Homeland Response, OH - Sep 1, 2005) |
Pepperell mold house victim to testify against owner's bankruptcy (Pepperell Free Press, MA - Sep 2, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  PEPPERELL -- Mold house victim Nancy Davis is getting her day in court -- or at least some of it -- at U.S. Bankruptcy Court, New Hampshire District, on Friday, Sept. 2 in a five-minute hearing before Judge Mark W. Vaughn that might keep the former owner of her mold-infested former 20A Shawnee Road residence viable in her multi-person lawsuit that includes him.
Davis said she received notification from the court on Aug. 30 that Michael P. Burke, of Merrimack, N.H., from whom she bought the property two and a half years ago, had sought the bankruptcy hearing and had listed her as a creditor.
Click here for: Pepperell mold house victim to testify against owner's bankruptcy (Pepperell Free Press, MA - Sep 2, 2005) |
Yucaipa Group of 14 Homeowners Wins Mold Judgment of $1.3 million (San Bernardino Sun, CA - Sep 2, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  YUCAIPA - After years of living in brand-new houses plagued with leaking windows and cracked stucco, 14 homeowners in Whisper Ranch have been awarded $1.3 million for construction defects. Calimesa-based developer E. Wayne Simmons and builder Whisper Ranch Ltd. were ordered in July by a San Bernardino Superior Court judge to pay the 14 plaintiffs for construction defects ranging from slab leaks to slope failures.
The 200-home Whisper Ranch development off Mesa Grande Drive was built in the late 1990s. House prices ranged from $190,000 to $650,000. Nikki Snelson, who bought her house in 1997, said she is satisfied with the award and is relieved to have repairs started on her home.
Click here for: Yucaipa Group of 14 Homeowners Wins Mold Judgment of $1.3 million (San Bernardino Sun, CA - Sep 2, 2005) |
Dream home turns to nightmare (Durango Herald, CO - Aug 31, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Shaded by pines, the hillside spread in the Forest Lakes subdivision seemed the ideal spot to raise his 3- and 1-year-old daughters. He sunk $254,000 into the home last December, leaving the Southern California smog a reflection in the rearview mirror.
Now, he's turning back around. What he found behind the walls has forced the family to evacuate the Pine Valley Road home today. Taylor, a frozen-foods supervisor at Albertsons, will drive his wife Brenda and two girls to Perris, Calif., for an indefinite stay at Brenda's parent's home.
Click here for: Dream home turns to nightmare (Durango Herald, CO - Aug 31, 2005) |
Judge upholds $140,000 award in Oswego mold lawsuit (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Aug 31, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  WHEATON — A DuPage County judge Tuesday upheld a jury's $140,000 award to a family who sued a real estate company and several others after discovering their Oswego house was infested with mold.
Judge Bonnie Wheaton denied a post-trial motion by one of the defendants that would have struck down the award, including nearly $70,000 in punitive damages, that favored the plaintiffs, Jeff and Tina Werderman.
Click here for: Judge upholds $140,000 award in Oswego mold lawsuit (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Aug 31, 2005) |
Mold Education: "Fact Sheet: Environmental Protection Agency: Flood Cleanup - Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Introduction During a flood cleanup, the indoor air quality in your home or office may appear to be the least of your problems. However, failure to remove contaminated materials and to reduce moisture and humidity can present serious long-term health risks. Standing water and wet materials are a breeding ground for microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and mold. They can cause disease, trigger allergic reactions, and continue to damage materials long after the flood.
Prepare for Cleanup Read Repairing Your Flooded Home prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross. The booklet discusses flood safety issues and can save your life. The booklet also contains detailed information on proper methods for cleaning up your home. You should also consult the wealth of information on FEMA web site on floods/flooding, the CDC's Publication Protect Yourself from Mold and K ey Facts About Hurricane Recovery, and The American Lung Association's Fact Sheet on Flood Clean-up.
Click here for Mold Education: "Fact Sheet: Environmental Protection Agency: Flood Cleanup - Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems" |
School Mold: Estero High: Work on AC system set back After Failure Causes Mold in 48 Hours (Bonitanews, FL - Sep 3, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Just as Estero High School parents and teachers are wondering if the school will ever get a new air conditioning system, it is increasingly clear that keeping the faltering system from creating health problems for students and teachers is an uphill battle.
The school's aging HVAC air conditioning system is overdue for replacement, but work that was supposed to start earlier this year has been pushed back — again. Don Easterly, the district's assistant director of maintenance, said work will begin January, but the project has not yet been bid out to a contractor. In the meantime, the faltering air conditioning system has required school officials to take extra measures to combat mold that results from poor air flow and moisture.
Click here for School Mold: Estero High: Work on AC system set back After Failure Causes Mold in 48 Hours (Bonitanews, FL - Sep 3, 2005) |
Court Mold: Martin, St. Lucie Energy Conservation May Cause Mold in Courthouse (Palm Beach Post, FL - Sep 1, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Government offices statewide are raising their thermostats to 78 degrees, and some are shutting off air conditioning during nights and weekends, a response to Hurricane Katrina and its devastating effects on the nation's energy supply.
Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday urged all Floridians to conserve gasoline and other fuels as a way to get through the current problems in gasoline and natural gas production. He said Florida typically uses 23 million gallons of gas a day, which should mean that the 148 million gallons currently on hand around the state should be enough for nearly a week — unless people start hoarding.
Click here for Court Mold: Martin, St. Lucie Energy Conservation May Cause Mold in Courthouse (Palm Beach Post, FL - Sep 1, 2005) |
Mold & Insurance: Storm Losses Could Reach $100 Billion - Insurance will cover a fraction of what may be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. (Los Angeles Times, CA - Sep 3, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Economic losses from Hurricane Katrina are likely to reach $100 billion, an insurance consulting firm estimated Friday, which would make it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Insurance will cover only a fraction of the losses, according to Risk Management Solutions of Newark, Calif. It estimated insured losses at $20 billion to $35 billion, up from initial projections of $10 billion to $25 billion.
The price tag from Hurricane Katrina is expected to far exceed that of 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which caused $43 billion in economic losses and $20.8 billion in insured losses, in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Click here for Mold & Insurance: Storm Losses Could Reach $100 Billion - Insurance will cover a fraction of what may be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. (Los Angeles Times, CA - Sep 3, 2005) |
Mold & Legislation: Florida's Mold: In the Eye of the Hurricane (Emediawire, WA - Sep 1, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Tallahassee, Fla., August 30, 2005 -- The national mold storm's eye has moved over Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). At Governor Jeb Bush's request, a series of meetings by industry stakeholders are taking place with the goal of shaping the regulatory and legislative landscape for the assessment and remediation of mold.
Mold is a major global issue and has become a multi- billion dollar industry with repercussions in health, education, construction, legal, and real estate. Nationally, powerful lobbies have moved quickly to protect their interests, which have resulted in several state agencies enacting mold policies or legislation that have, in many cases, abandoned the consumer.
Click here for Mold & Legislation: Florida's Mold: In the Eye of the Hurricane (Emediawire, WA - Sep 1, 2005) |
Mold & Katrina Experts: Hurricane Katrina: Experts Available To Lend Perspective On Its Terrible Aftermath (Saint Louis University, MO - Sep 2, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  DEADLY DRINKING WATER: The biggest concern besides drowning is desperate people resorting to drinking and eating contaminated food and water, said Roger Lewis, Ph.D., director of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health’s Environmental Health Research Lab. Waterborne diseases spread by fecal material are also a huge concern, and they can be fatal to the young, the elderly and anyone with compromised immune systems, said Dr. Lewis, who compares the hurricane’s devastation to mass refugee situations he’s witnessed in Third-World countries. “The amount of mold there after this will be staggering. Homes will have to be bulldozed, and even superstructures may have to be gutted. It will take years before the city in any way, shape or form returns to a semblance of normalcy.†Dr. Lewis attended Tulane University in New Orleans and is familiar with the city. Call Rachel Otto, 314-977-8018.
IS BAD PLANNING TO BLAME?: Joanne Langan, Ph.D., is co-author of a book on preparing nurses to handle the aftermath of a disaster and a nurse who lived though a Gulf Coast hurricane 20 years ago, says disaster planners did everything they could to prepare, but the effects of the hurricane and subsequent flooding were too immense to predict. “It just overwhelmed any kind of system they had in place. They had mandatory evacuation, and people still didn’t leave,†she said. Langan is an assistant professor of public health nursing at Saint Louis University who helped design a distance learning course to teach nurses across the country about their unique responsibilities when disaster strikes. Call Nancy Solomon, 314-977-8017.
Click here for Mold & Katrina Experts: Hurricane Katrina: Experts Available To Lend Perspective On Its Terrible Aftermath (Saint Louis University, MO - Sep 2, 2005) |
Mold & Technology: Amidst frenzied hurricane relief, planners consider future of Gulf Coast, Will Use Advance Techniques to Determine the Presence of Mold (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA - Aug 31, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As tens of thousands of refugees were being moved from the hurricane devastated Gulf Coast and thousands of soldiers and rescue workers poured into the area yesterday, planners grappled with the big question: what next?
In New Orleans, planners face the mind-boggling task of essentially rebuilding a major city from scratch. From repairing single family homes to reworking the city's complex levee system, officials have a chance to reinvent the Crescent City.
Click here for Mold & Technology: Amidst frenzied hurricane relief, planners consider future of Gulf Coast, Will Use Advance Techniques to Determine the Presence of Mold (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA - Aug 31, 2005) |
For Fun: The Onion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  This is always a favorite of mine. Here are some of the stories from the current issue (go to the website to read the stories):
- Google Announces Plan To Destroy All Information It Can't Index
- Wrongly Imprisoned Man Won't Shut Up About It
- Botanists Making Great Strides In Stem Research
- Londoners 2 Percent Less Polite About Terrorism Following Bombings
- Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory
- Factual Error Found On Internet
- Everything That Can Go Wrong Listed
Click here For Fun: The Onion |
Mold Investigation: Clark Seif Clark, Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CSC, Inc. is an environmental consulting firm headquartered in Chatsworth CA with a staff of engineers, geologists, certified industrial hygienists and other technically-trained professionals has investigated and managed hundreds of sites. We have a full understanding of the requirements outlined in CERCLA, RCRA, NEPA, TSCA, AHERA and HUD, as well as other federal, state and local environmental regulations.
Moisture Control is the key for microbial management. Moisture in buildings can be in the form of water vapor or as a liquid. The presence of moisture on the surface of building materials or inside structural components is the primary factor in sustaining microbial growth, which may lead to exposure to microbial emissions of spores and their metabolites, such as particle-containing mycotoxins and microbial Volatile organic compounds (mVOCs).
Click here for Mold Investigation: Clark Seif Clark, Inc. |
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