Boston Herald 9/22 Abington Clan to Raze Their Toxic Mold Home

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Subj: Boston Herald article 9/22/02

Date: 09/25/2002 9:57:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time

From: MLMJ75

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/home09222002.htm

Abington clan to raze their toxic mold home

by Dave Wedge

Sunday, September 22, 2002

An Abington family that says they've been sickened by toxic mold is tearing down the contaminated house this week and planning to file a lawsuit against the town to help cover rebuilding costs.``The bulldozers are coming in Tuesday,'' said Patrice . ``The best thing we were told to do is to tear it down. We've been told there's nothing else we can do.''The s have spent the past year battling insurance companies and struggling to find a solution to the toxic mold that has plagued their Road home.'s husband, Dean, a chef at the Top of the Hub restaurant, has sustained neurological damage that doctors have tied to the toxic spores while their daughter, Mikaela, has a chronic kidney infection. Patrice has been stricken with an immune system deficiency that led to pneumonia.Their other two children have contracted strange rashes and the couple lost a 6-month-old baby to bacterial meningitis. The baby's death can't be directly tied to the mold, but doctors have told them it's a possible cause.Studies have shown toxic mold can lead to sudden death in infants and acute lung bleeding, among other ailments.The family discovered an 18-year-old addition on the home was infested with black mold spores that produced dangerously high levels of toxins. They immediately moved out of that part of the house.But during the summer, the problems continued. The family recently learned they stem from a defunct underground septic system that was built too close to the foundation and was never properly capped.The family is considering a lawsuit against the town for lax inspections. The contractor who built the home is immune from legal action due to the expiration of a statute of limitations, the family has been told.The s have been in contact with environmental activist Brockovich, who was made famous in a biographical film starring , and are on their second team of lawyers.The family has had to repeatedly remortgage the home, has been turned down for help by five insurance companies and was denied state assistance, said. They have been forced to throw away virtually all their possessions - including the children's toys, clothing and furniture - and spent the summer living with friends.They are currently renting a house in Marshfield, where they will remain until they rebuild.``It's been a horrible summer,'' Patrice said.

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