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Special Report: |
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Papers Document Mold Hysteria, Lack of Science A pair of scientific studies have found mold to be everywhere... and of no real harm to anyone. The United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, in conjunction with the Manhattan Institute Center for Legal Policy have released two papers arguing the growing hazard of mold litigation and the lack of scientific evidence linking mold to health problems. The papers, "A New Plague: Mold Litigation: How Junk Science and Hysteria Built an Industry," by attorneys Cliff Hutchinson and Robert Powell, and "A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold," review the state of litigation and science over alleged mold dangers. |
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Limiting Mold Liability Mold needs only three things to start a thriving little community that can make a normally rational person run screaming -- a food source, some heat and a little water. Common building materials provide a veritable buffet of food sources for the microscopic menace. Drywall is a favorite since mold thrives on paper of all kinds. Heat is a constant in Las Vegas, with more than 300 sunshiny days a year. As for water... Thank your plumber for that. "There are only two kinds of plumbers," Thomas McManus said. "Those who have been sued and those who are going to be sued." McManus is president of Environmental Health Services, a Las Vegas based indoor air investigation and remediation company. He spoke about mold’s effect on construction defect cases at the February 11 meeting of the Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors of Nevada. |
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Mold Hype Not Helping Anyone It seems that much of what is said in the media about mold is wrong. And some of it is downright inflammatory. ABC News reported in November 2002 that "black mold" was forcing families out of their homes, and that dire health effects were linked to exposure. An Oregon family asked their fire department to "burn their $450,000 house to the ground" to end their mold-related woes. A $95 million Hilton Hotel tower in Hawaii was closed down thanks to mold being found in some of the rooms. Clean up was estimated to cost up to$40 million, and all 453 guests rooms may remain closed until the summer of 2003. Time Magazine likened the spread of black mold to a new kind of "biblical plague," while The New York Daily News criminalized it as a "killer." Insurance companies that attempted to exclude mold related claims are finding legislation that would force them to provide coverage. At least six states have mold related bills pending in their legislative houses. Some of the bills attack insurance companies, while others address the licensing of so-called "experts" who examine, test and remediate mold. There have been more than 8000 articles and hundreds of television reports about mold since 2000. In the majority of them, the message is one of concern over mold and mold related illnesses. Headlines scream, homeowners react, experts remediate and insurance companies pay billions for damages supposedly caused by exposure to toxic, deadly, killer molds. The only thing missing in the whirlwind of hype and hysteria? Proof. |
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Indoor Expert follows His Nose "Common sense and simplicity are better than rocket science in finding the source of odors," said Thomas McManus, president of Environmental Health Services, a Las Vegas based indoor air investigation and remediation company. |
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Ballard Award Bounced
By Court |
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Ballard Bashes Insurance Companies Over Mold There’s a web site with a message aimed at insurance companies: "Your worst nightmare has just become a reality. Your customers ain’t gonna take it anymore." |
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What Kind Of
Mold Is It? Contractors have become familiar with
mold on the back end: The lawsuit alleging that they or their products
caused it to grow. |
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Mold "Survivors" Form Group "We’re going to hear our speakers
first, then answer questions," said Lisa Sherman. "Those of you
with short-term memory loss, please write your questions down." They had survived an encounter with toxic mold. |
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Mold & The Air System: Always The Bad Guy? When Mike Stanovich got in the air quality business, the concession was that indoor air quality concerns were the responsibility of the air system. Does that mean the HVAC system is always to blame? Mold & The Plumbing Contractor Beverly Wolf, Interstate Plumbing & Air Conditioning’s risk manager, had some insightful things to say about mold at the February membership meeting of the Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors of Nevada. Wolf has been studying the mold issue for some time, and the knowledge she’s gained in fighting mold related lawsuits provided a unique perspective on what has become an issue of enormous importance to the plumbing and air conditioning industries.
Home Builders Face Threat Of Mold Claims For builders, toxic mold has become an ugly stain on the balance sheet. With increasing publicity about the damage and dangers of mold, builders are seeking ways they can prevent or control the onset and spread of mold. First, they must understand the threat. Linda Stetzenbach, PhD, gave an overview of the issue at a pair of seminars recently. Stetzenbach is director of the Microbiology Division of the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies at UNLV. An expert in her field, Stetzenbach has consulted on dozens of mold related cases in Nevada. Stetzenbach spoke to the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association where she addressed mold in residential buildings. Part of the Homebuilders Operations Management Education Series (H.O.M.E.S.), the talk was a crash course in microbiological contaminants and their health effects. The discussion centered on mold: The kinds of mold; how they grow; the kinds of illnesses they cause; and what builders can do to prevent contamination. Home builder Robert Lewis introduced Stetzenbach, citing that an increase in mold related lawsuits has spurred interest in the subject. "We have to provide a healthy living environment for customers," Lewis said. "And respond rapidly to problems." Stetzenbach warned builders that mold can grow on almost anything. "Cement, tile, floors, painted surfaces, metal, fiberglass, fabrics and wallboards," she said. Some manufacturers offer products treated with fungi-resistant biocides. Stetzenbach told the builders not to depend too heavily on such products in their efforts to prevent mold. "Biocides in paint and carpet provide temporary protection," Stetzenbach said. "Fungi can grow once the surface becomes dusty or wet." Many building materials, such as drywall, make perfect food for fungi and mold. The cellulose content of the product is a feast to the microbiological organisms. When bacteria or fungi grow on building material such as drywall, it uses the material for food and changes the structural integrity of that product. Preventing Mold Contamination Almost every material that goes into a residential home is food for microorganisms under the right conditions. So how can a builder beat mold? There are more than 100,000 species of mold, with about 1000 of them common to the United States and about 300 known to cause harm to human beings. The most well known mold is stachybotrys chartarum, a greenish black fungus that grows on material with a low nitrogen, high cellulose content. Fiberboard, drywall, paper, carpets, and even dust that is chronically moist or water-damaged can host this mold. All substances with a low nitrogen, high cellulose content are breeding grounds for mold. To grow, mold needs a combination of water, air and heat once it finds a suitable host substance. Las Vegas homes provide plenty of food, heat and air. It makes sense that most mold contaminations begin with water intrusion, since that remains the missing ingredient in a dangerous recipe. Thus it is the amount of water introduced to building materials that should be controlled. Roof leaks, plumbing leaks, and air conditioning leaks cannot be allowed, as they can allow water intrusion that allows mold to take hold. Most dangerous are those places out of sight. Any leaks that drain into a wall cavity should be repaired as soon as possible, since the drywall becomes a food source for mold. Wallpaper must be kept away from areas where there is moisture. The backside of wallpaper is a breeding ground for mold, the glue being a rich source of nutrients. A leak that creates moist conditions in wallpaper can create a colony of mold that can remain unseen for months while releasing spores into the indoor air environment. Testing For Mold The American Indoor Air Quality Council welcomed Linda D. Stetzenbach, Ph.D., as she discussed the kinds of mold likely to be encountered in living spaces, the methods commonly used to gather samples, and the kind of tests done to tell exactly which mold is present. We have always shared our planet with microbiological neighbors, and fungi and mold play a necessary and vital role in biology. Their job is to break down dead matter and recycle it. "All molds are fungi, yet not all fungi are molds," Stetzenbach said. The types of fungi and mold were discussed, with special emphasis on those that have ill effects on people. There are 100,000 kinds of mold, yet only about 300 can harm humans. Stachybotrys chartarum is the one talked about most often. Often referred to as "toxic mold," stachy is distinctly shaped, with a roundish head on a stalk. It is from the head that spores are released into the air. It takes only the slightest movement of air to disturb and carry such spores. Water can also transport the spores, and the saturation of indoor air can fluctuate as much as two to 10 micrometers. "How many spores does it take to make someone sick?" Stetzenbach asked. "We don’t know yet." There are labs working to develop a "biomarker" for human exposure. Such information is two to three years away, according to Stetzenbach. For more information about the American Indoor Air Quality Council seminars, please call Rex Wilhoite at (702) 740-5470. Human Illnesses Caused By
Mold "From Sports Goddess to Mold Goddess." So went Diana Meier’s life story after a losing battle with toxic mold that contaminated her California apartment building. Meier spoke of her illness and her efforts to inform people about the dangers of mold contamination at the American Indoor Air Quality Council meeting. At 6' 2'’, Meier was due to join the WBA as a professional basketball player when she began suffering unexplained fatigue. "I was tired all of the time, sleeping all the time. I just couldn’t do it," she said. Living in Santa Monica at the time, Meier got no help from doctors for more than two and a half years. "After a couple of years, I couldn’t even read the paper anymore," she said. "I couldn’t concentrate." Meier testified on SB 372, a California bill that addressed the mold issue. The Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001 created a task force to assess the seriousness of mold related illnesses and examine acceptable levels of exposure in indoor environments. The bill also requires building owners to disclose mold related information to a potential buyer. Meier uses the internet to tell her story. Moldgoddess.com is a website devoted to her story, and the issue of mold related suffering. "Mold Is Gold" Headaches. Nausea. Weakness. Unexplained pain... your home may be killing you. It’s certainly killing the insurance industry. Some recent court cases and actions by insurance companies are making mold the hot topic of the new millennium. The big scare of 2001 came in June, with a $32 million judgement against Farmer’s Insurance Company. In Austin, Texas, The Ballard family said $3 million home was overrun by toxic mold and that the insurer mishandled their claim. Their sickness made Farmer’s finances ill to the tune of $32 million dollars. The situation in Texas worsened after that. Mold cases continued to be filed, with some estimates as high as 50,000 to 60,000 outstanding cases awaiting a decision. Insurers in Texas have reeled from losses, and the Big Three insurers, State Farm, Farmers, and Allstate, have stopped issuing new homeowner’s policies that covered mold, or limited such actions to $5000. State Farm’s losses were more than $504 million in 2001, with five times the number of mold claims it had the previous year. There are some 2000 plaintiffs in mold related cases in California. The American Trial Lawyers Association has made mold litigation a hot topic. The California Legislature recently passed SB 372, a law which creates a special task force to examine mold’s health effects and requires building owners to disclose if there exists any mold related problems in their building. Earlier, this year, 150 New York high-rise apartment residents are suing a management company for $12 billion dollars. The suit alleges that the company did not respond to complaints about mold infestation and failed to warn residents of the health risk. H.O.M.E.S. Offers Seminars The Homebuilders Operations Management Education Series (H.O.M.E.S.) offers builders and subcontractors informative seminars on issues that impact their businesses. "We’re concerned with issues that concern them," said Jim Weflin, of the Copper Development Institute. The Institute is sponsoring the series, and Weflin said the mold issue is one that builders must pay attention. "Part of our job is to provide training for the industry." For more information about the H.O.M.E.S. events, please call SNHBA at (702)794-0117. |
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Call (702) 615-7644 |
