Black Mold: Creeping Destruction

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http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,299199-412,00.shtml

Black Mold: Creeping Destruction

It Destroys Houses And Makes Residents Sick

NEW YORK, June 30, 2001

AP

(CBS) For seven years, Alda Brunson tried to figure out why her daughter,

Iris, was having severe allergic reactions inside their Houston-area home.

" She had a lot of strange problems --fungus, rash on her body that we

couldn't get rid of, " says Brunson. " Often times, in the middle of the

night, she would wake up and her throat was swelling, her face was swelling,

and she couldn't breathe. "

Doctors were also stumped, until Brunson learned of a toxic mold called

stachybotrys, which scientists have linked to everything from nosebleeds to

headaches to anaphylactic shock, reports CBS News Correspondent Russ

.

" My daughter's room, " says Brunson, " was full of mold. "

Stachybotrys (or black mold) is showing up across the country - in homes,

schools, courthouses, banks and even government buildings. And it's not just

happening in the humid south. Molds only need a moist surface to grow.

Brunson's mold problem began when the synthetic stucco used on the outside

of her home, allowed water to seep in, trapping it in the walls. Other homes

in her development have the same problem.

Getting rid of mold can be expensive, often costing as much as the home

itself. Besides replacing walls, flooring and furniture, some homes may even

have to be stripped right down to the frame. Most insurance companies pay

for mold damage as long as it results from a problem already covered under

the homeowner's policy (such as a broken pipe or leaking roof). But because

of the overwhelming number of claims, some companies appear to be looking

for loopholes to avoid paying up.

Brunson's insurer denied her claim, saying the mold grew out of the stucco

problem, which is considered a builder's defect. Unable to sell their homes,

Brunson and the other families in her development filed suit against the

builder, Life Forms, Inc., and Finestone, the manufacturer of the synthetic

stucco.

Mark Wham, the attorney representing the homeowners, says, " What my clients

are asking for is to have the defendants step up to the plate - in

particular, their home builder -- step up to the plate, remove this

defective cladding from their homes, not just do a piecemeal patch job. "

The builder has offered to patch the leaks and has a lawsuit of its own

against the stucco manufacturer. Says Bruce Cohoon, president of Life Forms,

Inc.: " We feel that they're the responsible party here and the applicator of

the product and anything we're doing to assist our customers in the remedy

of this situation should be borne by them. "

Finestone maintains that the synthetic stucco is an effective product if

properly applied.

This week, Texas insurance regulators began reviewing requests from

companies to drop mold coverage from homeowners' policies. Insurers say mold

claims are spiraling out of control. They want consumers to buy additional

coverage for mold.

Alda Brunson's home sits empty. Its value plummeted from $250,000 to just

$1,000. As she waits to go to trial, she continues paying the mortgage on

what is essentially a worthless home.

Says she: " We're just sitting here, watching our house rot. "

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For more information about black mold, go to the Centers for Disease Control

or the California Department of Health Services.

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