Washington, DC – Like the ubiquitous fungi blamed for an insurance crisis in Texas, the issue of toxic-building mold has grown in the nation’s capital. A bill introduced in the House on Thursday is the first national legislation of its kind dealing with the issue of toxic mold and, if passed, would require the Environmental […]
Washington DC – The discovery of extensive mold contamination in property throughout the United States has led to the introduction of legislation in various states in an effort to combat this problem. Representatives from California, Maryland, New York, and Texas have all introduced legislation that focuses on educating and protecting the public from the potentially […]
by Bill Hirschman – Education Writer, Sun-Sentinel Bending to parental pressure, Broward County school officials tested the air quality Monday at two elementary schools where mold and mildew problems continue to cause doubts that children will be allowed inside on the first day of school next week. The results are not expected until at least […]
The Knox County school system is taking action to protect an elementary school from mold. A contractor finished building the Dogwood Elementary School in 1994. School leaders told WVLT VOLUNTEER TV News there is a moisture problem in the school. They said the seals on walls have cracks, and that’s what’s causing the problem. Now, […]
Fort Stewart, GA – Kathy Jones knew what to look for when she walked into Brittin Elementary School to check out the $4 million renovation. If she saw it, she would feel better about her fifth-grade daughter returning to a building that made her sick last year. “We can tell by the floor,” Jones said. […]
by Norm Rowland – Staff, Katy Sun School starts Aug. 14 in Katy ISD and if past trends hold, enrollment may surpass 40,000 during the 2002-2003 school year. Last year’s enrollment topped 37,500 students and the number has been increasing by 6 to 7.5 percent per year – equal to the normal student bodies of […]
Milford, CT – “We needed more money because asbestos was discovered under the gym floor,” said Director of Management Services Philip G. Russell, referring to the gym floor replacement project at Jonathan Law High School. The Board of Aldermen’s Ordinance Committee will consider borrowing the money at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall. A proposed […]
by Louise Koniarski The Daily Courier PRESCOTT – Spray Systems, a Phoenix environmental construction company, will begin removing a patch of black mold Monday from an interior wall toward the rear of Prescott High School. Principal Tim Carter said Tuesday that a workman preparing a wall for painting in Room 301 found the mold behind […]
by Tim Dana – Staff Writer, Eastern Arizona Courier Pima Kindergarten reopened after broken water lines caused mold in the school. This flooding closed the building and forced the two kindergarten classes to move classes. They moved to the Responsibility Center located in the elementary school double-wide trailer. Elementary Principal Lynne Jones said Pima Kindergarten […]
by Steve Harrison and Sonji Jacobs Broward schools construction chief Tom Calhoun said three new schools slated to open on the first day of school ”are on the bubble” and may not be ready Aug. 26. Westglades Middle in Parkland, Park Lakes Elementary in Lauderdale Lakes and Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston may miss their […]
Health damaging toxins hide in unsuspecting places. That’s especially true in the case of some building products. Take, for example, the walls of your home. Most walls in homes and offices are made with dry wall. Dry wall is composed of gypsum board with paper (usually recycled) on either side. It comes in 4 foot […]
When Beverly Hammond discovered black and green mold growing in her hall closet last fall, she wanted her family to evacuate the house immediately. She suspected the gooey fungus was causing her husband’s frequent nosebleeds and her 16-year-old daughter’s sudden memory loss. Toxic mold can cause such symptoms, she knew, but she had no idea […]
A mysterious illness is befalling many people across the nation. They are suffering from such symptoms as breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu-like symptoms and bleeding in the lungs. The cause of this illness, a lethal version of household mold known as Stachybotrys atra. This illness is not new, however; the written history […]
You’ve heard of Radon, asbestos and lead paint. Now meet the newest official pollutant – mold. Mold is a biological pollutant, a fungi that grows in moist conditions. Molds are found in up to 50 percent of all structures, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) And it could kill your next real estate deal. […]
Toxic mold will soon be a household phrase. Insurance companies are under siege with claims from homeowners who say this mold is making them sick, and it could cost billions to clean it up. Recently a jury awarded a Texas family $32 million when they claimed mold in their home caused them to have neurological […]
Cool early season temperatures have prompted soybean plants in a number of fields in certain Iowa areas to develop symptoms of iron chlorosis in 2002. Soybeans plants that have iron chlorosis usually first show up in low and wet areas of soybean fields, says X.B. Yang, an Iowa State University extension plant pathologist. These fields […]
WASHINGTON – Tiny fungi that live under the Rocky Mountain snowpack get busy reproducing in the winter and may affect global warming, U.S. scientists said yesterday. They said they found a winter wonderland of fungal species, including many new to science, under the snow of a high-altitude Colorado meadow. Unlike most life, which hibernates or […]
by Tom Bedsole : Locke Reynolds Mold is old. Really. It has been a persistent problem for humans and animals throughout the ages. Shortly after handing down the ten commandments, God addressed mold. Leviticus 14:33-45 tells of how the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron to deal with a dwelling with mold. A priest was to […]
Sacramento, CA – Tenants at Sacramento’s Ardendale Apartments started seeing warning signs a few months ago, warning that their complex “contains chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects.” “It scares me in the sense that, where exactly and how exactly are these chemicals going to affect me?” said tenant Ryanne Durnin. The property manager, Cynthia […]
Most landlord-tenant relationships go smoothly. However, problems sometimes arise. For example, what if the rental unit’s furnace goes out in the middle of the winter? What happens if the landlord sells the building or decides to convert it into condominiums? This section discusses these and other possible issues and problems in the landlord-tenant relationship. Repairs […]
12/4/99 When you sign a lease committing yourself to a unit in an apartment complex or building, you’re agreeing to live in close quarters with strangers. You’re also making the assumption that your building will be properly managed and maintained. That includes such factors as air quality and adequate pest control. As a tenant, you […]
9/ 7/02 Kingfisher, OK – Mold troubles at a Kingfisher apartment complex are closer to being resolved following a judge’s order Wednesday. The judge agreed to modify a temporary restraining order on the owner of the Meeker Meadows complex. He can now start cleaning up the mold at the apartments, but has agreed to hold any […]
7/11/03 Olympia, WA – Mary Eckley’s mold-ridden Forest Glen apartment was condemned recently, leaving her homeless. Eckley pitched a tent and lived with her two children in the woods for two weeks.”Tent living, or nothing, is better than those apartments,” said Eckley, who now lives in a Steamboat Island mobile home. “I would never have […]
8/10/02 Sacramento, CA – Tenants of a Rocklin apartment complex are suing property owners over damage from “toxic mold” that caused upper respiratory problems, seizures, bloody noses, sinus infections and severe migraine headaches as well as contaminating everything from clothing to furniture. Concord attorney Richard P. Riley filed the complaint with Placer Superior Court on […]
5-06-02 Cincinnati, OH -The city likely will add to the pool of money to help 560 low-income people relocate this month from a large Bond Hill apartment complex that has been deemed a health hazard. At Vice Mayor Alicia Reece’s urging, City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to allocate $50,000 from a city emergency […]
11/08/02 State Wants Plan for Cleanup at Elsmere Complex by Edward L. Kenney, Staff reporter Tests on mold samples that state officials collected at an Elsmere apartment complex indicate a variety of molds, some of which can cause allergic reactions and infections. “The mold was not only extensive in its growth, but there was a […]
6/18/02 Washington, DC – Reflecting new concerns about possible health effects from mold, a Congressional subcommittee held hearings today on “Mold: A Growing Problem.” Submitting testimony on behalf of the apartment industry, the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) stressed that rental housing providers are committed to environmentally safe housing, but […]
by Wes Armstead Every year, nearly 88,000 deaths occur in the United States from ‘nosocomial infections – illnesses acquired while in a hospital. To help remedy this situation, stringent Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) codes went into effect this past January, which hospitals must meet for accreditation. The ICRA is designed to assess the risk […]
by Leigh Somerville, For Business First Aug 5, 2002 Patients can leave the hospital sicker than they arrived if construction crews don’t use the proper precautions to control infection during renovations and additions. Several groups have taken steps to ensure that the most basic tenet for the health-care profession? ‘Do no harm’ also applies to […]
Court Awards, Public Concern about Homes Driving Up Liability Fears – By Steve Brown:The Dallas Morning News 02/11/2002 ATLANTA – During the last few years, America’s home builders have grappled with rising material costs, labor shortages and a growing burden of government regulations. But the housing industry’s current foe has been around since the dawn […]
Written by Philip Klein NEW YORK (Reuters) – Allstate Corp. on Thursday reported its first increase in quarterly earnings in more than a year, as higher insurance rates took hold and catastrophe claims fell dramatically from the prior year. The company, the No. 2 U.S. car and home insurer behind State Farm Insurance Cos., also […]
That’s the ambitious goal of CEO Edward Liddy, whose moves haven’t always been popular with employees — or Wall Street As CEO of Allstate, the nation’s second-largest home- and auto-insurance company, Edward Liddy often finds himself between a rock and a hard place as he attempts to grow the company. Liddy sees value in expanding […]
by Tammy Williamson Business Reporter August 23, 2002 Illinois homeowners hit with double-digit increases from Allstate this year won’t see new increases next year, but auto rates in Illinois and nationally could rise 4 or 5 percent on average, said Edward Liddy, Allstate’s chief executive officer. And while some states will see home insurance rates […]
Wed Nov 13, 7:36 PM ET NORTHBROOK, Ill. (Reuters) – Allstate Corp., the No. 2 U.S. car and home insurer, on Thursday revised its previously announced third quarter earnings downwards, citing a $32 million charge it is taking for settling an insurance dispute. The company now says its third quarter profit was $248 million, or […]
by Jeff Ostrowski, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 7, 2002 A three-member panel will settle the dispute between the state’s largest homeowners insurer and Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher. State Farm officially appealed Gallagher’s rejection of a proposed 22 percent rate hike, Gallagher spokeswoman Tami Torres said Tuesday. Blaming the rising costs of toxic […]
by David Wichner, The Arizona Daily Star Wednesday May 15 05:20 AM EDT Reflecting a tough insurance market nationwide, three of Arizona’s biggest auto and home insurers – including market leader State Farm Mutual – are moving to limit new business in the state. Insurers say the moves are needed to stabilize their businesses amid […]
Two years ago we in the insurance industry were preparing for what was predicted to be an event of momentous import. The changes in our advanced technology were exposing our industry to significant damages and numerous coverage questions. Planes were going to fall from the skies, traffic lights would be inoperable, hospitals would lose power, […]
Everette Lee Herndon Jr. and Chin Yang In February 2000, a Texas grand jury found reason to continue a criminal investigation of child endangerment charges against an insurance company for its handling of a water damage claim. This investigation was prompted by a criminal complaint filed by the policyholder and follows the filing of a […]
Associated Press 07/18/2002 AUSTIN – Texas’ second-largest homeowners’ insurer — Farmers Insurance Co. — no longer writes new policies for homes that have had a water-damage claim in the past three years. The company also no longer insures houses older than 30 years unless they have had their plumbing systems renovated in the past 10 […]
7/28/02 Austin, TX – Five of the state’s biggest insurance companies are joining forces to lobby the Legislature. Some lawmakers already are calling for more regulation to address skyrocketing premiums and shrinking coverage for homeowners. Some legislators also want to curb the use of credit scoring, the secret rating systems that many insurers […]
8/1/02 A grass roots homeowners’ movement in Texas is trying to take on the state’s insurance industry’s practices in handling mold-related homeowner insurance claims. Policyholders of America has issued a series of alleged problems and proposed solutions on which it wants the state legislature to take action. The organizer, headed up by mold activist, Melinda Ballard, […]
by Michael A.W. Ottey, Miami Herald As state regulators patiently listened, the insurance industry and homeowners on Tuesday squared off on the issue of a tiny organism both sides agree could have huge consequences: toxic mold. But the adversaries are miles apart on what impact the mold issue could have in the state. Homeowners and […]
3/12/05 Guest Commentary by Sandra Ghiardelli Hardly a day goes by, it seems, that creative trial lawyers are not finding new ways to get into your pocket. One new device is to fill the courts with claims based on the attack of the killer mold. It sounds like a bad, 1950’s science-fiction movie, but it […]
7/20/02 Dallas, TX – Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor broadened his investigation Friday of how the major insurers use claims histories in writing new business to include Allstate Insurance Co. Insurance department officials subpoenaed Allstate’s underwriting guidelines, Allstate officials said, and specifically requested any data referring to the age of houses and their plumbing. On […]
7/20/02 Dallas-TX – On the heels of threats from the state, Farmers Insurance Co. backed away Friday from new homeowners policy restrictions tied to water and mold claims. The conciliatory move by the state’s second-largest home insurer came as the state allowed insurance companies to begin selling homeowners insurance policies commonly used in other states, […]
11/3/02 Sacramento, CA – Mold hasn’t caused problems for lenders in California. They see it as a headache for insurers that lenders can mostly leave alone. That could change if insurance gets scarce, too expensive or even disappears. Suddenly the house or office building that’s the collateral for the loan would be exposed to uninsured […]
1/11/03 Ft. Worth, TX – Mold has been the subject of much discussion lately within the insurance industry, as well as by others affected in their own right, such as lawyers, environmental consultants and consumer groups. And it seems like every time the subject comes up, it doesn’t take long for someone to chime in […]
Molds occur naturally in almost all indoor environments. Mold spores may also enter a home through open doorways and windows, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Most homeowners would benefit from a few helpful tips which might prevent or reduce the formation of molds in their home and keep any possible mold damage to […]
WASHINGTON — John Frieda Professional Hair Care said Thursday it is voluntarily recalling 9,420 bottles of its Frizz-Ease 5-Minute Manager Blow-Dry Styling Spray after testing revealed 6.7-fluid-ounce bottles were contaminated with yeast and mold. The Stamford, Conn.-based company’s testing showed the yeast organism is a member of the Candida family, fungi that can cause diaper […]
The Wausau School District will clean Lincoln Elementary School to rid it of three types of mold in time for classes to resume in the fall. The school was closed Tuesday after tunnels running under the school tested positive for three types of mold – stachybotrys chartarum, cladosporium and aspergillus – and summer classes were […]
 
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