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Toxic Mold

One Family's Story

By Donna Smith

"It seems he had stopped developing and he was babbling a lot when he talked," says Susan Chick. "Then by 3 1/2, his speech had not gotten any better and he was having trouble playing with other children." After more tests, it was determined that Seth would need "educational support" for a number of years from an occupational therapist. Seth's brother, William – who was born in the house – suffered from neurological problems from birth, including sensory planning and processing problems, low muscle tone, as well as reflux. Due to his low muscle tone, he was not doing age-appropriate skills – at 9 months, he was still not rolling over.

According to Carolyn Gorman, a health educator for 20 years who is currently with Johnson Medical Associates in Richardson, Texas, eye, ear, nose and lung responses plus skin irritation and rash are the usual symptoms of mold exposure. "In some instances the memory is affected," she says. "Sinus infections, bronchitis, asthma and coughing could exist."

Dr. Harold Farber, pediatric pulmonologist, associate chief of pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center in Vallejo, Calif., and author of Cont rol Your Child's Asthma: A Breakthrough Program for the Treatment and Management of Childhood Asthma (Henry Holt), says that molds can cause "sick building syndrome." "Living, working or going to school in moldy buildings can cause headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms and allergic symptoms," he says. But, according to Farber, most people have no reaction at all, and it depends on a person's susceptibility. "We really don't fully understand what makes one person susceptible and another not. A person with a history of allergies may become sensitized and develop allergic symptoms (runny nose, itchy eyes). A person with asthma may have mold triggering their asthma."

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