federally acceptable count for buildings is 200-400 parts per million??

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Dangerous mold forces building closure

Jewel Box vacates structure; black mold worries officials

http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?

article_type=news & article_path=/news/06/news060328_5.htm

Tuesday, March 28th 2006

By R. Crane | Journal Staff Writer

Cortez, CO

The city shut down the Valley Towers business complex on Main Street

last week for a dangerously high mold-spore count more than a

hundred thousand times above accepted levels.

Journal/Sam Green

discusses moving the Jewel Box business out of the

Valley Towers building because of black mold in the basement.moldy

building

• The mold-spore air count in the Valley Towers basement was 465,953

parts per million.

• The federally acceptable count for buildings is 200-400 parts per

million.

The federally acceptable mold-spore count in any building is 200 to

400 parts per million, said Wade Greene, building inspector for the

city of Cortez.

" It's really upsetting because the landlord won't repair the

building, " said at the Jewel Box March 20. Everyone is

breathing much better since the business moved to the former Oasis

Christian Shop location, she said.

Also, air tests conducted by Envirotech in Farmington, N.M.,

revealed presence of a particularly hazardous black mold,

stachybotrys, that rarely becomes airborne, Greene said. There were

67 parts per million of it in the base

The city shut down the Valley Towers business complex on Main Street

last week for a dangerously high mold-spore count more than a

hundred thousand times above accepted levels.

The mold-spore air count, at 465,953 parts per million in the

building's basement and 760 parts per million in the Jewel Box's

store, forced the business's relocation to 17 W. Main St. last week,

said store manager .

The city of Cortez has deemed Valley Towers unsafe for human

occupancy. The city has not yet received a complete mold report.

The federally acceptable mold-spore count in any building is 200 to

400 parts per million, said Wade Greene, building inspector for the

city of Cortez.

" It's really upsetting because the landlord won't repair the

building, " said at the Jewel Box March 20. Everyone is

breathing much better since the business moved to the former Oasis

Christian Shop location, she said.

Also, air tests conducted by Envirotech in Farmington, N.M.,

revealed presence of a particularly hazardous black mold,

stachybotrys, that rarely becomes airborne, Greene said. There were

67 parts per million of it in the basement and 10 parts per million

in the Jewel Box.

Inspectors do not like to see black mold levels above zero, Greene

said.

" It can attach and grow inside the lungs, " he said.

Greene said the mold-spore problem is unusual in Southwest Colorado

due to the region's arid climate.

said she told the landlord, Jean-Pierre Bleger, of leaks in

the ceiling and a collapsing roof a year ago, but he wouldn't repair

them. Her father, Jewel Box owner Clarence , complained to

Bleger of mold in January, said.

Also, a pipe burst after Once Upon A Sandwich moved out of the

building in late 2004, causing the basement to flood, said.

Mold thrives in water and moisture.

Bleger, owner of Jean-Pierre Bakery & Tea Room in Durango, said no

one informed him of the mold problem.

" That is not true; nobody complained to me, " he said Monday. " It's

not true. "

Bleger said he could not comment further on the mold problem.

" I can't tell you anything because people can make up things, " he

said.

Bleger said he conducted his own air analysis two or three weeks

ago, but he would not reveal the results. and Greene said

Bleger would not disclose the results to them. The city hired a

contractor to conduct a mold test of its own.

Before the structure can be used again, it must be secured so the

mold does not escape. Also, the infested drywall will have to be

removed, disposed of and replaced, Greene said. Mold mitigation must

also take place and another air-quality test will have to be

conducted.

Replacing damaged material will require a building permit, he said.

Indoor mold, which can be harmful to humans, reproduces by means of

small, invisible spores floating unseen through the air. Water and

moisture can cause mold to grow.

Just the smell of dead or dormant spores can make sensitive

individuals sick. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms

like sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rashes. Mold can also

trigger asthma attacks, and can irritate the eyes, skin, nose,

throat and lungs.

Reach Crane at johnc@....