Seeking Advice

[Noj]

For more than a year, my Mom has been battling a cough. Doctors have made educated guesses and prescribed a number of antibiotics and various pills and asthma type medications, but the nagging cough just hasn't gone away. She's always been very healthy and active and it's really unusual for her to be sick at all.

She works at a school, where she is in charge of all the books and all the audio visual equipment. As the school grew, they moved her from a regular classroom into a bungalow. This was several years ago.

Just recently, an animal got into the crawl space under her bungalow and died. It's too small of a crawl space for a person to get into, so they had to just cover up the smell and stay away from the room until it decomposed. It was placed on a patch of grass, so animals are able to dig underneath it. They had a previous problem with families of possums and skunks, and usually were able to have Animal Control personnel trap and remove the pests.

In investigating the dead animal, they have discovered mold growing in the walls of the bungalow. Lo and behold, all of the symptoms of her nagging cough match what is caused by household mold.

My Uncle mentioned it might have even been illegal for the school to place the bungalow on grass/dirt, and that they're supposed to be placed on pavement.

Now, we're not sue-happy people. We wouldn't go get some rotten ambulance chaser just to swindle money from the school system. My concern is that the powers-that-be are going to try to screw my Mom over somehow and not give her the compensation she might deserve. If they cut corners and put this bungalow on dirt despite that being against code, and it ends up shortening my Mom's life...I'm seriously worried.

I guess my question here is this: what should be done to ensure the school does right by her? She's very near retirement. Can we trust them to properly investigate this?

[marcello]

If the mold is in the structure, you have to kill it and keep moisture from feeding it. If it's rampant in the walls and the joists and can't be accessed easily to kill the spores, they will have to destroy the structure. Mold needs moisture, darkness and stagnant air to stay alive. If you kill it but leave the causes uncorrected, it will just come back again.

Now having said that, the word MOLD scares the shit out of lawyers. If you think it's a problem, you have to let the school know and have then relocate her. There are firms that can do the appropriate tests easy enough. In order to sue, you have to prove damage and that's not as easy as it seems. If your Mother is a member of a Union, let them know you suspect a unsafe working condition and have them demand that the school do a mold test.

I know a bit about this because among other things, I'm a home builder and mold issues are something that we are careful about. I've also seen and eradicated a real nasty case in one of my relative's houses.

I hope this helped.

[Noj]

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate it. I'm sure my Mom will follow through in an appropriate and intelligent way, I just want to be sure I'm armed with some solid information when it's being discussed.

[Jazzmoose]

Can we trust them to properly investigate this?

Absolutely not.

[Dave James]

Have you spoken with your Mom's doctors about your school related concerns? Also, I take it that she has been doing the same sort of thing for many year, but without any prior problems. If not, I might worry about her being continuously exposed to germs from handling books and A/V equipment.

[Noj]

She's been the book/AV lady since I went there, Dave.

[JSngry]

Sounds like your mom has totally legitimate complaints and concerns & needs an advocate to navigate the legal machinations thereof.

Here's hoping that you all can find one who is dedicated to uncovering the truth and all that justly comes with it and not one who is just going for the big score. Money at the cost of being "bought off" is better than no money at all, but...

Good luck to you all.

[Free For All]

Getting publicity via local TV and news sources often helps get results.

[Dan Gould]

If you can get their attention. The problem is "Help Me Howard" type reporters get so many calls they get their choice of situations they want to publicize.

[sonnymax]

I guess my question here is this: what should be done to ensure the school does right by her? She's very near retirement. Can we trust them to properly investigate this?

To answer your question, one needs to understand what you mean by "does right by her"? You say her symptoms appear consistent with exposure to mold? Has this been verified medically? If "yes", then do the doctors say her medical condition is treatable? Is there any permanent damage to her health? In the absence of a direct connection between exposure and her symptoms, and without a reliable medical prognosis, I can't see any way to establish causation or assess damages.

I am most concerned, as I am sure you are, that your mother has a long, healthy, and enjoyable retirement ahead of her. My advice, fwiw, is to focus on this goal and let others who are more interested in publicity, litigation, and compensation pursue their own interests.