Rogers County Courthouse mold is being eradicated

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
3/21/2008

CLAREMORE — County officials have hired a Catoosa company to begin mold remediation from an office in the Rogers County Courthouse, according to County Clerk Peggy Armstrong.

Worldwide Restoration Inc. this week began removing drywall and carpeting from the second-floor chambers of Associate District Judge Sheila Condren, said Arthur Mathews, the maintenance supervisor for the courthouse.Initial repairs are estimated at $6,000, Armstrong said.

The whole story at the Tulsa World

W.R. Grace & Co. To Pay $250 Million in Record Asbestos Settlement

3/12/2008 9:59:58 AM In the largest asbestos-related settlement on record, W.R. Grace & Co. (GRA) agreed Tuesday to reimburse the federal government $250 million. The money was used by the government in the town of Libby, Montana, where hundreds of people were sickened by asbestos, including some that died. The investigation and cleanup cost the taxpayers $168 million, with another $175 million likely.

The record payout is awaiting approval by a federal bankruptcy judge. The funding for the cleanup was originally taken from the government’s Superfund environmental cleanup program, and the $250 million from W.R. Grace & Co. will reimburse taxpayers….

Read the full story at RTT News: Global Financial Newswires

Excellent paper on mold allergy by the Mayo Clinic

by Shawn Garza

The well-respected Mayo Clinic has released a paper on mold allergies that contains a wealth of information on the subject.  Topics include:

• Signs and Symptoms
• Causes
• Risk Factors
• When to Seek Medical Advice
• and more

At QuanTEM Laboratories, we believe that mold in the home or business can cause allergic reactions, but should not be a cause for fear.  It’s always best to call in a professional mold inspector and insure that any mold-like substance be tested by an accredited laboratory prior to any remediation activity.

This excellent paper by the Mayo Clinic can be viewed for free HERE

Mold goes to the dogs

Beagle’s nose for mold carves niche for local businessman

By:  Randy Metcalf

In this high technological age, the best mold detection may have four legs and floppy ears.

John Setford, owner and operator of Arizona Mold Dog Detection Services of Tucson, goes everywhere with his canine companion, Rocky the beagle.

“I am a typical mold inspector,” Setford said. “I’m certified just like any of the other inspectors in town.”

But there’s a difference. Human sight and smell are about 30 percent accurate in detecting mold. Setford said Rocky is about 90 percent accurate….

The rest of this fascinating report can be found at the website of the Explorer: News, Sports and Entertainment for Oro Valley, Marana and Northwest Tucson

New ASTM Standard Provides Asbestos Guidance

New ASTM Standard Provides Asbestos Guidance

By Laura Walter

A new American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International standard offers guidance for using asbestos testing data and helps define the extent of asbestos contamination in surface dust.

The standard, ASTM D 7390, Guide for Evaluating Asbestos in Dust on Surfaces by Comparison Between Two Environments, can assist building owners as they consider whether one area of a building has more asbestos in the dust than another area….

Learn more at OccupationalHazards.com

Phoenix newstation investigates mold remediation firms and finds them fraudulent

Phoenix’s KPHO News 5 conducted an undercover investigation in which they placed a small smudge of MASCARA on a homeowner’s wall, called in several mold remediation companies to investigate the “mold-like substance,” and found that all but one were willing to charge thousands of dollars to remove the substance instead of having it tested first to determine its “make up.”  (Excuse the weak pun.)

This is indeed a sad statement about our industry and gives honorable mold remediators a bad name.  For the past several years, QuanTEM Laboratories has been conducting bi-annual Mold Investigator Training courses to prevent this type of recklessness and to help prospective mold investigators follow procedures that can limit liability and potential litigation.

To read Channel 5’s investigative story and watch the VIDEO, click here.

Attorney General suing Slotky, Huff over asbestos

By M.K. Guetersloh
mkguetersloh@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON — Attorney General Lisa Madigan is suing a downtown building owner for improperly removing asbestos found in floor tiles from the Front ‘N Center Building in 2006.Building owner Merle Huff of Peoria and Ben Slotky of Bloomington are named in the three-count lawsuit filed in McLean County Circuit Court. The lawsuit alleges Huff and Slotky failed to use a licensed asbestos contractor and that Huff and Slotky failed to follow the necessary removal process….

To read the whole story, visit Pantagraph.com

Clean up That Moldy Mess

ATLANTA, Ga. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — A musty, mildewy smell is the undeniable odor of mold. And it may be lurking in more places than you know — having harmful effects on your health. Now, we tell you how to track down mold.

Holly Russo’s tub comes clean now, but there was once a moldy nightmare lurking underneath it. “Our first reaction, when we saw the mold, was absolute horror. I could not believe what was under there. I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Russo.

Mold that’s made its way indoors can cause health problems, but many people still don’t understand the hazards. Now, industrial hygienists are growing mold to learn more about how it grows, what it grows on, and how mold makes us sick….

Read the entire story and watch the VIDEO at Ivanhoe Broadcast News

Jury awards more than $30 million to family in asbestos death

By JEFFREY GOLD | AP Business Writer
6:23 PM EST, February 27, 2008

HACKENSACK, N.J. – The family of a man who died from an asbestos-related cancer was awarded $30.3 million from a New Jersey jury, their lawyer said Wednesday.

The award is believed to be the largest in New Jersey for mesothelioma, an aggressive lung cancer, said the lawyer, Moshe Maimon.

The disease killed 50-year-old Mark Buttitta in 2002, although he had only handled auto parts containing asbestos while working summers at giant GM warehouses in New Jersey, Maimon said…..

For the full story, visit Newsday.com’s website

Massena School Official Pleads In Asbestos Case

MASSENA—The superintendent of building and grounds for the Massena Central School District has admitted that he lied to federal special agents from the Environmental Protection agency about the removal and disposal of asbestos from district buildings and to falsifying an investigation report on asbestos in Jefferson Elementary School.
Ben G. Gladding, 48, of Norfolk pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Utica before Judge David N. Hurd. He has worked for the school district for nearly 30 years….

For the full story visit North Country Gazette.