Store at casino develops mold problem

July 26, 2006

HOLLYWOOD,FL. July 25 (UPI) -- Employees at a store in a Florida

casino resort found there was a reason they kept getting sick -- a

severe mold problem.

The Body Shop at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino Resort in Hollywood

was closed July 5 to get rid of the mold, the Miami Herald reported.

" We have all suffered from a combination of headaches, skin rashes,

sore throats, respiratory infections, body aches, nausea and eye

irritation, " said Nance D'Agostino, the store's assistant manager.

D'Agostino said that when the back wall of the store was removed

workers found it had been completely covered with thick mold, which

had also gotten into the store's ventilation system.

Tequila Ranch, a restaurant that shared the wall with the store, is

also closed for renovations, although operators say they are

unrelated to the mold problem.

Seth Norman of the National Association of Mold Professionals told

the Herald that customers of the store are unlikely to have problems

from exposure to mold, but daily exposure can cause respiratory

disease. He said that people who are receiving chemotherapy,

pregnant women and people who are HIV-positive could develop worse

problems from mold exposure.

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