Mold takes toll as health risks hit the valley

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Mold takes toll as health risks hit the valley

Residents have battled landlords over problem

http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20060516/LIFESTYLES03/605160320/1006

Stefanie Frith

The Desert Sun

May 16, 2006

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Mushrooms dotted the ceiling of ' rented house in Desert

Hot Springs. Little plants sprouted from his carpet. The inside of

his walls were black. Red sores scarred his arms. A black leather

jacket in his closet turned green.

The same thing happened at Don Keating's apartment in Palm Springs,

sans carpet plants.

And Sissiel Aasland's rented condo in Palm Desert was also overcome

with black fungi.

These desert residents say mold took over their lives, costing them

their homes, possessions and health. And they are still fighting

with landlords to get back the lives they say they stole.

After a story in The Desert Sun on Saturday about a Palm Springs

resident who says mold is making her sick, more than a dozen phone

calls and e-mails were sent to the paper from residents and

attorneys, some offering Akins a place to live, others just

wanting to share their own efforts to rid their lives of mold.

" It's unbelievable, " Akins said Monday after hearing about the

response to her plight. " I'm really amazed and very grateful. "

Cases of mold rise

Mold cases are growing. In 2003, Californians filed 5,462 mold

claims, according to the Texas-based Policyholders of America, a

nonprofit association that guides policyholders through the claims

process.

And just because it reaches temperatures of 120 degrees in the

summer and is as dry as a bone, mold does exist in the desert, said

Hinde, senior industrial hygienist for the Riverside County

Department of Public Health.

Although mold levels are much lower in the desert than the Redwood

Forest, for example, mold can grow if it has three things: moisture,

the right temperature and a food medium.

" Mold spores can hibernate and then sprout up again (with

moisture), " Hinde said.

So if there are chronic water leaks, say from faulty pipes or rain,

mold can exist anywhere.

Akins, a former actress and model now living in a Palm Springs

apartment where test results from a company she hired show evidence

of mold in her walls, is now fighting with her landlord to receive

back rent and lost wages.

Her landlord, Belmont Brokerage & Management, Inc., conducted its

own test and said although there is mold, it's dry and not a

problem, according to President Kurt Wood.

Another person fights mold

It's going to be a long fight, said , who is working to get his

former landlord to cover his medical bills, deposits and relocation

costs.

" I just don't feel like anyone cares, " said.

thought spider bites were taking over his body. But after

heavy rains that caused his roof to split open and hearing about the

mold that many victims of Hurricane Katrina have dealt with, he

started to think mold may have caused his sores, fatigue and puffy

eyes.

Eventually, mushrooms sprouted on his ceiling and little plants grew

behind his dresser. The house that he paid $1,000 a month for

smelled musty. And after hiring a mold inspector who told him to get

out because the mold was so bad, the city red-tagged the house and

had to leave everything behind.

" It (the house) looked beautiful, " said. " But it was a

complete cover-up. "

Aasland also left behind her furniture and clothes after her

attorney called with results from a mold inspection: mold existed

and she needed to leave.

Meanwhile, she had lost her voice and had trouble breathing -

symptoms that have subsided since leaving two years ago.

Faulty air conditioning

Aasland said it was a faulty air conditioner installation that

caused water to leak into her walls and carpet, turning the walls

black.

" I lost everything, " she said. " I have nothing left. "

A leaky air conditioner was also the cause of mold in Pam and Ken

Arnold's home in Louisiana. The couple, now living in Rancho Mirage,

said they would never have discovered the problem if they hadn't

hired someone for some touch-up painting. The painters pulled back

the wallpaper and discovered black mold.

The company that installed the air conditioner admitted negligence

and the Arnolds, who owned their home, were able to receive their

claim. Yet they had already lost so much time, Pam Arnold said. They

were bedridden, and suffered digestive problems, severe migraines,

compromised vision and memory loss.

" I would be driving down the street and, all of the sudden, nothing

looked familiar, " Arnold said. " I knew I was in town, but ... I

couldn't remember which (street) I would turn on. "

Alan Elson of Palm Springs also knows what that is like. The

locksmith suffered health problems ever since he was hired to open

up a Palm Springs condo that had been empty for seven years.

" I walked in and just collapsed, " he said. " It hit me like a heart

attack. I just lost all my energy. "

Green mold covered the walls, the result of cracked water pipes, he

said. Three months later, mold spores were still evident in his

system and he suffered chronic fatigue and pain.

" I warn people about how dangerous it is, " Elson said

SIGNS OF MOLD

Sight: Are the walls and ceiling discolored, or do they show signs

of mold growth or water damage?

Smell: Do you smell a bad odor, such as a musty, earthy smell or a

foul stench?

SYMPTOMS

Exposure to damp and moldy environments can cause a variety of

health issues. Some symptoms include:

Congestion

Irritated eyes

Wheezing or coughing

Memory loss

Body aches and pains

Shortness of breath