Mold causes concern Spores found in Tamaqua row house

Toxic black mold.

These three words are destined to strike fear into anyone.

While the term isn’t exactly accurate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there’s good reason to be concerned if and when it’s found in your home.

Immediate remediation/cleaning is your best bet to ward off any health problems from developing.

But what if you’re exposed to these mold spores, day after day, week after week, even months, without knowing it?

That’s a dilemma a Tamaqua property owner faces as a large concentration of spores were found in his next-door neighbor’s home, one of four attached row houses. The even scarier part is the knowledge that the last two people who resided in the neighbor’s home recently died within weeks of one another.

Coincidences?

Glen Carter lives in Tennessee, but he and his wife own a home in Tamaqua, a house they purchased in 2006. Glen’s dad lived in the home for years. Despite general good health, he passed away in 2017 from respiratory problems. The younger Carter and his best friend and cousin, Jeff Bauer, set about cleaning up the place, preparing to put it on the market. Over time, other friends also helped, pulling up the carpeting, taking away the old furniture, even donating a pool table to a local establishment.

On July 22, 2017, Carter and a friend were preparing to paint the walls when a phone call stopped them in their tracks. Jeff had passed away in his sleep. In his mid-30s, his current health problem was a cold he couldn’t shake, making it difficult to breathe. His lungs just stopped working. The deaths of his dad and best friend devastated Glen, and fixing up the house in Tamaqua became a hit-and-miss operation with those other friends.

There was no reason to believe the two deaths could be related.

A third person close to the Carter family, Sherri Wagner, passed away on Dec. 18 from respiratory problems. She lived in the house next door, one connected to Carter’s, a real convenience as she and the elder Carter were the parents of two minor children. The kids were always back and forth between the two houses. After her ex passed away, the kids continued to bounce back and forth between houses.

Connecting the dots

Glen began wondering if the deaths were connected in some way, but couldn’t figure out how. He still doesn’t know for sure, but his suspicions no longer seem groundless, thanks to the death of the male owner of that house next door.

When Glen heard of the latest death, he couldn’t believe it. When he spoke to his half siblings about the deaths, he was told about black mold being found on the wall behind Sherry’s bed. There were also a dead cat and a dead rat in the basement of the home next to his property, according to “the kids.”

He didn’t know where else to turn, being so far away, and he wanted authorities to know about the deaths and look into the possibility they could all be connected to the mold. He contacted Tamaqua Police on Dec. 31 and told an officer everything he knew.

That included a recent insurance inspection of his property, where the inspector walked inside, turned around and said he would have to return later with his respirator as he smelled mold. The Carter property was inspected, with no trace of mold in the house. The inspector suggested it could be coming from an adjoining home, but, as far as Glen knows, it was never inspected. That inspection was done earlier in 2017.

He also contacted the office of the Schuylkill County Coroner and Children and Youth, asking about autopsies and having Sherri’s children checked for mold toxicity.

“I didn’t know what else I could do. I’m hundreds of miles away, in poor health myself. I thought contacting the authorities would be the best way to find out if these deaths were related and get the kids help,” says Carter.

After hearing Carter’s concerns, police contacted Ken Fenstermacher, Tamaqua’s Zoning, Code and Health Enforcement Officer. A sign was also posted in the police department advising officers not to enter either property due to the mold condition. The two officers who assisted EMS when Wagner died developed allergylike symptoms and have sought treatment for mold toxicity.

Mold spores

The CDC says mold itself is not toxic, but certain types of mold produce mycotoxins which are toxic chemicals produced by a fungus. Some molds can even be beneficial, such as the strain that is used to produce penicillin.

“Mold is found naturally outdoors as well as indoors in damp, or high humidity environments,” says Brian Seitz of Seitz Brothers. “Roof leaks, leaky pipes, a backed-up drain could all lead to mold growth. We actually breathe it in every day. The concern is whether it’s toxic or nontoxic mold. All toxic mold is black, but not all black mold is toxic.”

Many building materials offer the perfect habitat for the growth of mold, including drywall, insulation, carpeting and other cellulose materials that can retain moisture. Most of the time, a small leak doesn’t turn into a mold build up, or the area is so small it is easily cleaned up with a bleach solution.

Exposure to mold can lead to symptoms such as a stuffy nose, wheezing, chronic coughing, headaches, fatigue, red/itchy eyes and skin. Some people may have more intense reactions, such as running a fever, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. Treatment can be as simple as using an over-the-counter antihistamine to ease the symptoms for those who’ve come into brief contact with mold spores and developed a mild allergy.

Those who’ve been exposed for long periods of times may develop chronic inflammatory response syndrome. The symptoms mimic many other respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. CIRS doesn’t heal on its own and will continue to provoke illness unless it’s treated. Determining if someone has CIRS can be expensive and should include testing the home environment as well as the victims.

Seitz says when his company is called for a mold buildup, they check the air quality and determine if the mold is toxic or nontoxic. He also advises homeowners to take care of any leaks or dampness. “You can clean up the mold, but if you don’t fix the problem that caused it, it can grow back within 24 hours.”

Questions

Legally, the property owner is responsible for cleaning up a mold problem. In this case, the owner of the house that’s known to have mold has passed away, leaving Carter and authorities caught between a rock and a hard place. Carter’s house was clear earlier this year, but it’s sat empty for months and mold continues to grow if untreated.

He will need to have his property inspected and cleaned if any mold is found. But that would be a waste of time and money if the danger is coming from the adjoining home. Who will be responsible for that?

In the meantime, he’s paying a monthly mortgage, taxes, water/sewer and garbage rates on a house he doesn’t use.

“I have no need for this place in Tamaqua now. I’d like to sell it, but I can’t put it on the market worrying that it may be unsafe. The borough says I have to continue paying for these services I don’t use, unless I get a plumber in to winterize it. How can I send someone in there if the mold has spread to my property? I don’t want anyone else to get sick.”

Just how bad is the mold problem in these houses that have been declared off limits by the police department? Is the mold in his neighbor’s house toxic and even partially to blame for the deaths of Carter’s family and friends? Is anyone else at risk? What can be done to protect the people who’ve been in and out of these homes, as well as other neighbors?

Carter hopes authorities can do something quickly to answer these questions and stop the spread of the black mold spores, as they are easily transferred through the air and by light contact. He’s feeling very frustrated about the entire situation.

“I can’t do anything with my house until the situation next door has been taken care of. I’m worried about the kids and anyone else who’s been in those houses. I’ve contacted all the authorities, but no one is getting back to me. I just want to know what I’m supposed to do next,” says the distraught homeowner.

Fenstermacher says he’s “working diligently to get answers to those questions.”