Chased by toxic mold, woman loses her home

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Chased by toxic mold, woman loses her home

BY JOE SYLVESTER STAFF WRITER

02/02/2006

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=16051369 & BRD=2185 & PAG=461 & dept_id=416046 & rfi=6

YATESVILLE,Pa

YATESVILLE — Almost eight years ago, White settled into her new

house, where she opened a hair salon.

About two years later, she began getting sick, suffering from

pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, migraines and skin rashes.

By December 2003, she was forced to close her salon for what she

thought was a two-month medical leave. It never reopened.

In September 2004, Miss White found out why she was sick, she said

recently. After removing cabinets in her basement office to clean up

after water runoff from the rains of Hurricane Ivan, she discovered

black mold on the walls.

She said later inspections by three different companies found her

house, furniture and belongings all were contaminated with the mold,

which is known to cause health problems.

" Before I knew there was anything wrong with the house, I had to

close my business, " Miss White said. " I couldn't function. "

While the specific effects of household mold on residents' health

may vary and are not always conclusive, it has affected other

families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The most publicized case was

that of the Wassel family, who moved out of their Habi-

tat for Humanity home in South Scranton in 2002 when family members

became sickened by mold.

Miss White, 37, and her son, , then 3, moved out of their

house in October 2004 and have lived with family or on their own

since then. She said her respiratory health problems went away after

she moved out. She still is on disability, though, due to a

herniated disk in her back.

But now, because her insurance company denied her homeowner's claim,

and she has let payments slip, her house on Teasdale Street in

Yatesville, is up for sheriff's sale. The sale is scheduled for

Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Luzerne County Courthouse.

She said that even if no one buys the home, the bank will foreclose

and sell it.

" It has been a nightmare, " Miss White said recently.

Not only did she have to leave furniture and clothing behind, she is

worried someone will buy the house at the sheriff's sale, and

whoever moves in will become ill.

She has tried to stop the sale because of that and has placed signs

on the front of the two-story, wood-frame house, warning prospective

buyers. The signs in large black marker issue such warnings

as, " This house contaminated with toxic black mold, " and " This house

made us very sick. "

But Sheriff's Deputy Foy said the department sells properties

sight unseen at the sheriff's sales in such mortgage foreclosure

cases.

" We don't know anything about those houses, " Deputy Foy said.

The deputy said the buyer is responsible for cleaning up the

property.

When Miss White took a reporter and a photographer on a recent tour

of the musty house, a sofa and other furniture remained in the house

and clothes and toys lay in piles in the living room. In the

basement, walls were partially blackened by mold and a round dish

from a mold test kit sat with spores growing inside.

Miss White said her homeowner's insurance company, Erie Insurance,

denied her claim because, " They don't feel there's anything wrong

with the house. "

Erie Insurance agent Dimler of Scranton said it was the

company's policy not to comment on specific cases because of privacy

issues.

But Miss White said three other inspectors she called in all found

mold.

" This is quite a common case, " said one of those inspectors,

Amberg, service manager for Integra-Clean in Sterling, a home

restoration company that tests and cleans mold. " But most of the

time, it doesn't get to that point. "

Mr. Amberg said different people have different thresholds for mold.

" When you're living in a house, you become more susceptible to it, "

he said. " In her situation, she was trying to clean it up at the

same time. That just spreads it around and it goes up in the air. "

He said affected areas should be isolated with plastic and the air

sucked to the outside before the mold is removed. If the mold is on

a section of drywall, that may mean removing that drywall, Mr.

Amberg said.

Contact the writer:

jsylvester@...