City apartments (Univ. of Arizona) Contaminated with Stachy put Student Into coma

[Guest guest]

University Wire

March 2, 2000

U. Arizona officials listen to City residents' health concerns

By Myer, Arizona Daily Wildcat

Tucson, Ariz.

City residents met with UA officials last night to explain the

health problems they attribute to living in their apartments.

University of Arizona Risk Management and Residence Life officials outlined

their plan to completely inspect the complex for a toxic mold that was

reported in two apartments last month.

Livingston, a creative writing senior, said she has coughed up

blood and has been in a coma, health problems she thinks are related to

living at City.

" I've never been as sick since I've lived here, " Livingston said. " If I knew

then what I know now, I wouldn't have stayed. "

Stachybotrys chartarum - a toxic mold - was found in two City

apartments in February, according to reports compiled by Rosen, a Risk

Management health and safety officer.

Rosen said the toxic mold grows on cellulose material such as carpet

padding.

Stachybotrys chartarum has been associated with health problems such as

bleeding lungs.

" The long-range plan is to have a full inspection of the apartments of

City, " said Herb Wagner, Risk Management assistant director.

" Generally, the mold is going to be found in hidden places, " Wagner said.

The inspection will start tomorrow on a case-by-case basis, but the full

inspection will begin within a month.

Ray Corral, Residence Life associate director of facilities, said the

apartments with small children will be inspected first.

A consulting firm to perform the inspections will be chosen within a couple

weeks, Rosen said. The results will be available about four to six weeks

after a consultant is chosen, but qualitative results will be done sooner,

she added.

Wagner said the inspection's cost has not been determined yet and paperwork

has been sent to the UA procurement office. He added that a decision should

be made within a couple of weeks.

Charla Carr, a former City resident whose 5-year-old daughter

developed asthma after living in their apartment, said she wants the UA to

solve the mold problem.

" I guess I want to make sure you guys are going to continue to carry this

beyond this meeting, " Carr said.

Jake Elkins, an urban and regional planning graduate student, said he has

experienced health problems since he moved to City two years

ago.

" I pointed out the presence of Stachybotrys chartarum in my apartment last

year, " Elkins said.

He added that he is unsatisfied with the inspection.

" We need a valid sampling out here to establish the prevalence of mold, "

Elkins said. " I think we deserve a class action suit myself. "

Carr said filing a lawsuit would be the wrong approach.

" If you sue, all you're going to do is cause the university to walk away

from family housing, " said Carr, adding that she has considered a lawsuit.

Carr, a history junior, said it took a long time for her and her friend,

another former resident, to receive a response last semester, and now, she

wants the UA to find a solution.

" This has got to stop, and I will not stop, " Carr said. " You can't tell

these people 'it isn't a big deal' and 'we're taking care of it.' "

Carr suggested Campus Health officials test the blood of residents.

" Give them something concrete so they won't come back to you two years

later, " Carr said.

Lowry, a City resident, said she and her husband are

thinking of moving because of the mold.

Lowry said she thinks the UA may not conduct a comprehensive inspection

because officials plan to sell the complex.

" They're mitigating people's fears and not solving the problem, " said Lowry,

whose husband is a UA management information systems doctoral student.

She said she wants new UA family housing built on a piece of land that is

not being used at the existing City site.

Call, Residence Life associate director of residential education,

said the UA is not planning to sell City.

Call said a committee will be formed to decide the future of the complex. He

added a Residence Life survey was conducted to generate residents' input

about the matter.

" At this point in time, there is no plan to close City, " Call

said.

Jeff Middleton, another City resident, said he developed allergy

problems about three weeks after his apartment flooded.

" It's really disturbing, " said Middleton, whose wife, Noriko Iwasaki is a UA

linguistics doctoral student. " I've never had anything like this before, so

it is strange. "

But he said he is confident Rosen will handle the inspection well. He added

that he is satisfied with her performance.

He also said he is aware of other apartment complexes having mold problems,

so he is not very concerned with City's.

" I don't think it is too unusual, " Middleton said.

City residents can request an inspection to be conducted soon by

contacting the community center desk. They will receive a memo notifying

them when a complete inspection, handled by a consulting firm, will begin.

© 2000 Arizona Daily Wildcat via U-WIRE