Couple still blame school for mold

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Couple still blame school for mold

By: Molly Petrilla, Staff Writer

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

newsid=16971288 & BRD=1091 & PAG=461 & dept_id=425707 & rfi=6

Florence man claims health problems, property damage

FLORENCE — As toxic mold continues to spread through Jen and Bart

Shrader's Tall Timber Lane house, the homeowners maintain that

construction on the township's new high school is to blame for their

mounting medical and property troubles.

Last week, the state Superior Court extended the end date for the

Shraders' civil suit against the township Board of Education — which

will ultimately go before Judge Marc Baldwin — to Dec. 29.

The Shraders claim runoff and improper drainage from the new

water retention/detention basin on the high school site off Cedar

Lane are to blame for their serious mold problem, and they are

seeking unspecified monetary damages from the board for inverse

condemnation, property damage and emotional distress.

" The house has been there since 1983, and it was fine until they

started digging the hole for the basin, " Mr. Shrader says.

What's more, he adds, when the mold problem developed, " no one

wanted to help; no one's trying to help at all. "

The Shraders' Haddonfield-based attorney, Tom Booth, says he and

his clients have until Aug. 4 to amend their complaint and add to

their list of defendants, which they plan to do though they won't

reveal the names yet.

" The mold was not present in their house prior to this water

problem, " Mr. Booth says. " It's now rampant in their house. You can

make the causal connection pretty simply. "

School officials did not return calls for comment on the lawsuit,

and have said in the past that they are unable to discuss pending

litigation with the press.

Last winter, the Shraders requested an injunction to halt

construction on the basin until the issue had been looked into.

State Superior Court Judge Bookbinder denied their request on

Feb. 1, but required the board to hire an independent engineer by

March 20 to assess the situation.

The board complied, hiring Medford Township Engineer

Noll to evaluate the basin. Mr. Booth said he has not seen Mr.

Noll's report, but received word that it was completed.

" They said it's in draft form, but every time we ask for it they

won't give it to us, " Mr. Shrader adds.

The Shraders purchased their house in October 2003, and claim

their basement began smelling musty shortly after construction

started on the new school's retention basin in spring 2005.

When Mr. Shrader discovered black mold in a corner of the

basement in October of that year, his wife and children moved in

with his mother-in-law in Burlington, where they have been living

ever since.

" We were starting to see a little green coming out from behind

the doors in the kitchen as well, " Mr. Shrader says. " It was

somewhere the kids could touch it, and I said: 'That's it. They

can't stay here. It's not safe.' "

Now, he says, there is black, white and green mold throughout the

house and " you can see and smell it everywhere. "

An April 28 visit from Microbiological Air Safety Laboratories

Inc. of King of Prussia, Pa. confirmed Mr. Shrader's early fears

about the severity of the situation.

The inspector found significant levels of stachybotrys, a

dangerous mold that can produce mycotoxins, some of which are

poisonous to humans. Samples also revealed cladosporium — a mold

closely associated with allergens — and penicillium/aspergillus — a

common mold known to cause respiratory problems.

Exposure to such molds " could affect you in a number of ways, "

says Gogats, the county's public health coordinator. " You

might get headaches. You might get lethargic. You might get cancer. "

There are " lots of different symptoms depending on the mold

itself, " he adds. " Your breathing system would definitely be

affected and irritated. Everybody acts a little differently. Some

people are a lot more sensitive to mold than others. "

And now, over a year after mold invaded his two-story home, Mr.

Shrader says he is experiencing many of the unpleasant symptoms

often associated with the fungus.

Though he never suffered from mold allergies, breathing problems

or poor health in the past, Mr. Shrader checked himself into an

emergency room twice in late May.

" I was having a hard time breathing, and it was throwing me into

a spin where I couldn't get air, " he says.

Blood tests revealed a low red cell count, and doctors put Mr.

Shrader on an inhaler. He says he is still experiencing shortness of

breath, exhaustion and dizziness, and has recently scheduled

appointments with a hematologist and a pulmonologist.

While Mr. Shrader admits that many people ask why he doesn't just

leave his house to avoid future medical issues, he insists the

solution isn't that simple.

" Everyone thinks it's easy to get up and move — it's not. They

only have so much room in (the Burlington) house, and my wife and

kids are taking it up. I also have three dogs here to take care of,

and I'm not giving them up. "

In addition, Mr. Shrader says he is hesitant to move out of his

house for fear it will be considered abandoned or unoccupied and as

a result won't be covered by homeowners' insurance.

Still, he says, adjusting to the new living arrangement has not

been easy on anyone in his family.

" I'm heartbroken, " he adds. " Every time I kiss my son and

daughter they say, 'Bye, daddy.' They take it as I'm leaving them.

When I do leave, they want to come with me. But I can't bring them

to the house. I just can't bring them in there. "

And he says the situation has also caused stress between him and

his wife.

" Mentally, physically, emotionally, she's worn out, " he adds. " We

all are. "

But that doesn't mean he's willing to surrender in his legal

battle anytime soon.

" I have to keep going — I have to, " he says. " I feel confident,

or I wouldn't be putting so much into this. "

" I think the evidence is overwhelming that what's going on at the

Shrader property is either solely caused by the construction

activities, or the construction activities greatly exacerbated a pre-

existing condition, " Mr. Booth says. " I'm very confident that we'll

prevail. "