
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 22, 1994                   TAG: 9407200033
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX                                 LENGTH: Medium

TOXIC MOLD DRIVES COUPLE FROM HOME

A Fairfax County couple moved out of their condominium because of a mold infestation that they believe caused their headaches, asthma attacks and rashes and has cost them thousands of dollars.

Shirley and Robert O'Dell's symptoms have cleared up since they moved to a temporary home nearby, but they still feel financial pain. They have spent $16,000 for tests and inspections, and it will cost thousands more to disinfect the home.

The mold that caused the O'Dells' woes is not the fuzzy blue-green kind that grows on old bread. The couple's molds include a species that produces a poison similar to nerve gas, said environmental consultant Reginald Simmons, who tested the growths.

The condominium contains ``billions and billions of bacteria and fungi. It's mind-boggling,'' said Simmons, president of Comprehensive Environmental Strategies Ltd. of Manassas.

The cost of the cleanup could rival the $146,000 the O'Dells paid for the condominium unit, Simmons said. ``I would approach this site almost as a toxic waste site,'' he said.

The cleanup involves ripping out the walls and ceilings and thoroughly disinfecting them, Simmons said in his report. Any furniture, drapes, rugs or other items in the unit also would need thorough cleaning.

``It's been a disaster,'' Shirley O'Dell said. ``It's been a pain in the neck.''

Experts who examined the condominium blamed faulty construction for water that ran through the O'Dells' walls after rainstorms. The moisture fostered the growth of the microscopic molds, Simmons said in his report to the couple.

Among the molds Simmons said he found was Stachybotrys atra, which produces a poison that attacks the body at the cellular level, harming the immune system and leaving the body open to opportunistic infections.

That species of mold is rarely found in homes, but the moist interior of the O'Dells' often-soaked walls and the cellulose on their wallboard made an ideal garden for it, Simmons said.

Russell Rosenberger, president of TMC/Cedar Lakes Inc., which built the condominium, acknowledged that water had infiltrated the O'Dells' unit. He said he believes the problem has been fixed and that ``no further water is entering the O'Dells' unit or other units in the community.''

He said the O'Dells' complaint still is being investigated.

by CNB