Mold ended business, owner says

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Mold ended business, owner says

Glenwood Springs,CO

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20060318/VALLEYNEWS/103180039

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Cordova of Automotive Services south of Glenwood wears

goggles and a respiratory mask while inspecting a mold infested

block wall at his business location Tuesday.

Post Independent/Kelley

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Dennis Webb

Post Independent Staff

March 18, 2006

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When Cordova starting having sinus problems a few years ago,

he figured it might have been due to air pollution following

Glenwood Springs' Coal Seam Fire of 2002.

When he watched workers wearing protective suits and masks enter an

adjacent business recently, he learned that another culprit might be

to blame.

Cordova, owner of Automotive Services south of Glenwood Springs,

said mold is causing illnesses at a commercial building where he

leases space in the Red Canyon area of Highway 82. It's also helping

put an end to his 22-year business, after a mold-related dispute

with the building owner resulted in him being told that he is being

evicted.

The experience has been enlightening for Cordova, who has come to

learn that no regulations are in place to protect people who believe

their health has been affected by mold.

" We could be sick or dying over here. We could have asthma or

complications but no one's looking at it, " he said.

Jim Rada, Garfield County's environmental health manager, confirmed

that governments from the local to federal government don't regulate

mold outbreaks, although they will provide information to occupants

and property owners about how to respond to the problem.

Mold spores are everywhere, but can become concentrated in

buildings, Rada said. The lack of regulation stems in part from the

fact that some people are far more susceptible to becoming sick from

breathing in the spores than are others.

" It's really because of the differences between people, it's

difficult to call it a health hazard for everyone, " Rada said.

Cordova agreed that even the four people who work in his business

have varied in their reactions. One was fine until after the

building owner used bleach to try to treat the mold, Cordova said.

However, he said employees in some other businesses in the building

where he works also have gotten sick. Several of the businesses

contacted for this story did not comment.

Cordova said most of those affected have had allergy-type symptoms

such as runny noses, but some get secondary effects such as rashes

and sores on their skins and burning in their eyes.

Webb, who runs Dowling's Restoration & Cleaning, based in

Avon, does mold cleanup work. He said some molds can have toxic

effects on the nervous system. Normally mold is an allergen,

however. But people who regularly are breathing in mold spores begin

to lose their resistance, resulting in heightened sensitivity, he

said.

Cordova now dons a respirator and goggles before entering a sealed-

off part of his business that he says has the biggest mold problem.

Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment discusses

mold as a health threat on its Web site and suggests remediation

measures. But Bruce , interim deputy director of the Tri-

County Health Department, which serves , and Arapahoe

counties on the Front Range, said it's " very open for question "

among scientists about whether mold causes health problems.

" For the person who is suffering, I'm not going to say it's not

associated with mold. I'm just saying if you look at the science,

there's a lot of ambiguity here, " he said.

Agreement is widespread on how to tackle a mold problem, however. A

top priority is eliminating moist conditions conducive to the growth

of mold. Cordova said the building he rents backs up against a

hillside and has drainage problems that have resulted in the back

cinder-block wall getting damp during the wetter weather of recent

years. He points to areas on the wall where he sees discoloration,

fuzzy growth and other evidence of what he believes is mold.

The building is owned by Henry T. Willison of Glenwood Springs, who

referred questions to Crystal Property Management, which handles its

leasing. A spokesperson for that company could not be reached for

comment.

Rada said Cordova sent him a copy of a report by an environmental

engineering group, and he looked into the matter.

" What I was made to believe by the consulting engineers was the

building owners were taking necessary actions to eliminate a roof

leak and improve some drainage situations, " he said.

Owners also wanted to clean up personal property in Cordova's

business " that they felt was really the source of the mold in the

space, " Rada said.

One concern is carpet in the back of Cordova's business.

However, Cordova was worried about whether Willison was following

proper protocol in addressing the mold problem in his business. Rada

said he explained to Cordova that there is no regulatory requirement

to follow any protocol.

Cordova said he was concerned because Willison first had used bleach

to try to treat the mold. The smell of the bleach proved irritating

to his employees, and Cordova's reading of literature about mold

treatment also led him to believe bleach is ineffective.

When Willison showed up unannounced and wanted to tear out the

carpet, Cordova refused to let him in. He said the job needed to be

done professionally.

Cordova's refusal led to his being notified that he is being

evicted, he said.

Webb said building owners with mold problems are well-advised to

leave mold cleanup to professionals, or follow highly regarded New

York City Department of Health guidelines.

of the Tri-County Health Department said landlords can't be

ordered to clean up mold. However, Webb said they still can be

subject to lawsuits. Although some level of ignorance by landlords

regarding a mold problem is understandable, they must show due

diligence in taking care of it once it is identified, and alerting

tenants of a problem, he said.

Usually, landlords will hire an industrial hygienist to do air

sampling, Webb said. His work begins after a problem is discovered.

He said some of the proper remediation procedures include isolating

a contaminated area and its contents, vacuuming up mold, sucking out

and filtering the air, bagging contaminated items for disposal in a

landfill, and decontaminating an area and adjacent areas with

antimicrobial products.

Cordova said air samples have been taken in his business space and

readings in some areas are well above the Environmental Protection

Agency's recommended standards. But because there are no legal

standards, air samples may not make sense, said.

Cordova said the company that insures his business property has

confirmed there is mold on his walls, but won't pay for a damages

claim he has filed because it believes the liability lies with the

building owner. He said his worker's compensation insurance has been

paying for medical bills for him and his employees.

Meanwhile, he's not sure how to proceed with safely removing his

property from his building and cleaning it.

Cordova said he doesn't want to point fingers at his landlord or

anyone else.

" I don't want to create something that isn't there, but clearly we

have health issues and that's where we need to focus, " he said.

" Maybe the laws will change, maybe we can get it to change, but

there's something here. People are getting ill and it's too bad that

people aren't recognizing that. "

Contact Dennis Webb: 945-8515, ext. 516

dwebb@...