Michael Ivanovich

After the flood: mold. Learning from Katrina.
June 19, 2008

As Iowa’s flood waters recede and recovery ramps up, the race begins to minimize problems with moldy buildings. Summer weather and flooded buildings are not a good combination. Here are some links that I found that can help citizens of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and other flooded Midwestern states prepape for dealing with mold in flooded buildings.

MOLD NEVER SLEEPS
Katrina serves as a good (bad) example of how mold can still be present months after a flood and even after remediation efforts. In study of post-Katrina New Orleans, a team of investigators performed continuous airborne sampling for mold spores and endotoxin for two months after the Katrina and Rita hurricanes in 2005. They took measures indoors and outdoors; in flooded and non-flooded areas. Testing periods lasted five to 24 hrs.

The results were estimated 24-hr mold concentrations ranging from 21,000 to 102,000 spores/m3 in outdoor air and from 11,000 to 645,000 spores/m3 in indoor air. The mean outdoor spore concentration in flooded areas was roughly double the concentration in nonflooded areas (66,167 vs. 33,179 spores/m3). Stachybotrys (the infamous black mold) was among the species of mold found.

The complete paper, “Airborne Mold and Endotoxin Concentrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Flooding, October through November 2005,” is available online at no cost from Environmental Health Perspectives’ website.

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/9198/abstract.html

REMEDIATION RESOURCES
In addition to health risks, mold poses a significant risk of property damage. Obviously, taking action as early as possible to spot and remediate mold is imperative. Here are some links to credible information sites for mold remediation, some of which stems from Katrina, and other sources that are more generic:

Here is information from the EPA on how to deal with a flood, including tackling mold issue:

Here's a link for those of you looking for information specific to schools and commercial buildings..

Additionally, here’s similar information from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta

INSURANCE AND LITIGATION

Insurance claims for mold can be tricky…(understatement of the year). I found a Website from United Policy Holders that educates insurance policy holders on how to file a mold claim.  According to their Website, United Policy Holders “United Policyholders was founded in 1991 as non-profit tax-exempt organization dedicated to educating the public on insurance issues and consumer rights.”

And, not to disappoint those of you who knew where this was going, there’s the lawsuit angles that have to be covered. Here’s a paper on mold litigation and Katrina that seems to have gotten a lot of attention: 

Hurricane Katrina: A ‘Perfect Storm' For Mold Litigation

And, finally, as if the housing market isn't bad enough... Although I haven’t had time to read the whole thing, this 62-page white paper on mold and real estate by the Mortgage Bankers Association is worth downloading and reading when you get the chance. It covers everything from the science of mold in buildings to recent research on mold toxicity to how to deal with legal issues surrounding mold contamination. And, it has REFERENCES, so it has to be good: Mold: A White Paper Presented by MBA Mold Working Group

Posted by Michael Ivanovich on June 19, 2008 | Comments (0)