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Mold Problems Mounting for Homeowners
Written by CBC News Online Staff
December 18, 2002
OTTAWA - Insurers say they're alarmed by the
growing number of claims from homeowners about mold problems.
The Rouseaus of Richmond, B.C. were concerned when their two daughters, Teddy
and Andy, started having health problems.
Teddy came down with a chronic cough.
"She would cough and cough and cough until she started retching," says Tammie
Rouseau, their mother.
Andy had cark circles forming under her eyes. The family moved out of the
townhouse they were living in after discovering mold.
"It was creeping out of the corner at the foot of the tub and there were these
black spots all over the roof and if you paid attention to it, you could see it
move. It moved toward the taps and moved out into the room," says Tammie.
Dr. John Molot, a specialist in environmental medicine, says mold causes a host
of serious health problems.
"They're tired, their concentration is off and maybe they are a bit moody and
then they'll have other complaints which could include sinus infections, chronic
congestion, asthma, headaches, tension headaches, migraine headaches," says
Molot.
Molot says he believes the mold problem got worse with the trend toward energy
efficient housing. Homes are now less drafty, but inadequate ventilation creates
a mold-friendly environment. Flooding is also part of the cause.
Some homes are so full of mold that families have been forced into hotels for
weeks. The Golabs of Taber, Alberta moved out of their house after their
basement flooded.
"I had migraines, the next minute it was a bleeding nose. My daughter was
vomitting. We couldn't figure out why," says Trish Golab.
The Golabs racked up repair bills of more than $50,000.
Some homeowners have discovered their insurance companies have already cut them
off. Gary McCandless says his coverage was removed after a previous claim. When
his basement flooded for a second time, he found out he wasn't insured.
"They literally terminated all our insurance…autos, both homes, everything."
He and his other employees are now working out of a trailer.
"We've been here for five months. It's not uncomfortable but it is
inconvenient," said McCandless.
McCandless says the company has told him it believes there's mold growing
behind one of the brick walls. With no insurance to help, McCandless is now
doing the job of cleaning up and destroying the wall with the mold.
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