Complaints Board.com – Serenade at Riverpark Oxnard aka Riverstone Residential – Spawn of the Devil

Posted: 2010-02-13
by – Majorly P.O’d!

Riverstone Residential / Serenade at Riverpark Oxnard
748 Forest Park Blvd.
Oxnard, California 93036

Signed 1 year lease. Office staff was very nice upon signing lease. However, the nightmare began when I lost my job and gave notice of lease termination. I sent them notice I needed to terminate lease immediatly due to loss of job and would be moving out in the next few days. I called the leasing office and spoke with Velma Douglas and inquired about lease termination fee. Although she told me lease termination fee would be paid as last months rent and in fact she also graciously stated she would let me stay till the end of the month and I would not have to move out immediately and the lease termination fee would be paid as this last months rent so I stayed. I gave them a written notice and then 2 weeks into the month, and I contact the office inquiring about extending my stay for longer and I then put a check in the drop box for the rent that month. The General Manager said she never got it, they filed an unlawful detainer days later with a guy pounding on my door and demanding I pay an additional 800 in attorneys fees plus rent if I wanted to stay. That’s strange, I gave her a check and she mailed it back so why is she asking for another check plus 800 more dollars. WTF? Crazy BITCH is all I have to say! But no it gets better! So I moved out immediatly. Went to the office to turn in my keys and mentioned to her I was appaulled at my experience with her. The next words out of her mouth were that she would call the police if I did not leave. I am not telling you what to do, but if you want to preserve any bit of your internal sanity and peace, then don’t move here. The story continues…Several months later I get a bill in the mail for the sum of greater than two months rent which was last months rent, plus cleaning fees, minus deposit, plus a lease termination fee. That’s strange, I was told I would only need to pay for 1 months rent which would be my lease termination fee. After 6 months of dealing with their parent company Riverstone Residential, in which someone named Shauna Johnson from their accounting department decided she was going to call and harrass me 30 times in a row because she wanted to tell me off after I hung up on her because repeatedly explained to her I did not owe that much. And then explained this to her boss, to another lady and then to a 3rd lady as well as several people at the apartment office in which I had even faxed and mailed to them copies of my notice of rental termination in which after they received the original copy it mysteriously disappeared from their files and then continued to harrass me. What a nightmare. Good luck. I have not heard anything from them in a month, but we will see what else I have to deal with! I will keep you posted!

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Information on Riverstone Residential knowingly exposing tenants to extreme amounts of mold toxins at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

Riverstone Residential – Park Plaza – Portland State students sue over bedbugs – Video

Riverstone Residential – Park Plaza – Bedbugs infest popular off-campus housing – “We believe the apartment management took the least expensive route instead of the most effective,” said attorney Lynn Clark

Riverstone Residential might want to consider attending the ‘Bed Bugs Webinar for Rental Property Owners’ hosted by The National Apartment Association & Orkin

Belltown Moda Apartments Has Its Balconies Repossessed – managed by Riverstone Residential

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Eagle Place Townhomes managed by Riverstone Residential – Residents say affordable housing complex ‘feels like a prison’

How Some Kids in Lafayette, Colorado Won the Right to Play Outside Again

Worst Staff, Worst Apartment, Worst Price – “I’ve lived in over 20 apartment complexes in my life, all over the country, and I will NEVER, EVER live in another Riverstone Residential apartment” – Plaza at the Arboretum

Riverstone Residential – Pet Friendly??? Not at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments

Lastest Review (including the mold problem) – Toxic mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments – Managed by Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential – Review – Crest at Lone Tree – THIS MANAGEMENT COMPANY WILL BREAK THE LAW

A mold problem (among many others) at Alexan Laguna Beach Apartments in Panama City Beach managed by Riverstone Residential – A Tenant’s Experience & Photos

Latest Review – Lowman Building – Seattle, WA – Managed by Riverstone Residential – Run Away from this Property!

Multi-Housing News Blog – Stimulus Package for your Complex – Riverstone Residential – Cheap Entertainment

Complaints Board.com – Riverstone Residential Complaints – Unfair Housing Practices – Georgian

Latest review of toxic mold infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments – PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!

Riverstone – City Hall finds violations at Arboretum

Multi-Housing News – How Top CEOs Are Dealing With Rising Energy Costs, Other Challenges – CEO – Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential-Management Challenged?

Riverstone Residential settles a discrimination lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) for $30,000

FEMA Using US Chamber Fraud in Katrina Trailer Litigation; EPA, GAO & Both Isle$ of Congre$$ Turn Blind Eye$

Certain Corporate and Government Interests Have Spent Huge Sums of Money and Resources DENYING THE TRUTH about the HEALTH EFFECTS of TOXIC MOLD

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) – files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

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Mold Causes Woman To Fear For Baby’s Health – Vista del Valle Apartments – Las Vegas – Video

February 8, 2010

LAS VEGAS – A woman fears for the safety of her unborn child after discovering what could be dangerous mold in her apartment.

She said the building manager at Vista del Valle apartments has done little to fix the problem.

A woman found what appears to be mold in the nursery she was building for her baby, her bathroom and the master bedroom.

Renee Coughlin spoke exclusively with FOX5 and said she’s been sick for months, and now she’s worried for the health of her baby.

“The board was so rotted you could stick your finger right through into the drywall,” Coughlin said.

Coughlin said she has been sick since September, which is when she moved into Vista del Valle apartments.

“Nausea, vomiting, headaches, sinus infection, wheezing, coughing, sore throat,” Coughlin said.

She said she did not notice the mold until the smell became overwhelming, and when she found it, she immediately called a maintenance worker.

“He was like, ‘Oh, oh, this is bad, really bad,’ walking backwards, and he exited the apartment immediately. And I asked, ‘What is going to happen?’ and he said, ‘I’m going to have the office call you,’” Coughlin said.

Coughlin said it has been nearly a week since then, and the work still isn’t finished.

“They really had no concern about my health or my baby’s heath,” she said.

General partner of the Vista del Valle apartments Mark Hammerschmit responded in a written statement:

“When first contacted by Ms. Coughlin on Feb. 2, our maintenance crew responded within the hour to inspect her windows. That afternoon we had specialists in the apartment who provided bids to perform the work the following day. Work began in Ms. Coughlin’s apartment the morning of Feb. 4, consisting of the walls being opened, contained, sealed and tested as a prerequisite before physical repair work could commence.

“On the afternoon of Feb., 5, the microbiologist visited Ms. Coughlin’s unit for the final completion and cleared the unit according to Nevada standards. Our staff spoke to Ms Coughlin and notified her of the clearance and that the plastic would remain around her windows over the weekend due to the forecasted rain showers and Ms. Coughlin agreed. She was also told that work would start Monday (today) to replace the drywall and windows. We expect the final work to be completed by the end of the week.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused Ms. Coughlin.”

The substance has not been tested, but doctors said any mold is not good, and considering the large amount of rain Las Vegas has had over the past month, everyone should be on alert.

“As soon as you see a fire, you put it out. Mold is the same. You see a little bit of mold, get rid of it. Stop the source. Don’t let children, elderly people, (those with) lung disease – don’t let those people get close to it,” said Dr. Mike Karagiozis, who has testified in several mold cases.

Coughlin said the apartment has not offered her a hotel room or a clean unit to live in while they finish the repairs, even though she said she could have her baby any day now.

Video: Mold Causes Woman To Fear For Baby’s Health

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FEMA Using US Chamber Fraud in Katrina Trailer Litigation; EPA, GAO & Both Isle$ of Congre$$ Turn Blind Eye$

Certain Corporate and Government Interests Have Spent Huge Sums of Money and Resources DENYING THE TRUTH about the HEALTH EFFECTS of TOXIC MOLD

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) – files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

Information on Riverstone Residential knowingly exposing tenants to extreme amounts of mold toxins at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

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FEMA Using US Chamber Fraud in Katrina Trailer Litigation; EPA, GAO & Both Isle$ of Congre$$ Turn Blind Eye$

From: SNK1955@aol.com
To: SlossN@gao.gov
Sent: 2/9/2010 12:13:32 P.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: GAO Recommendations to EPA on Mold not being followed. FEMA Katrina Trailers

Hi Nicholas,

How are you? I was wondering what the GAO is doing to follow up on its two recommendations to the EPA with regard to Federal interagency coordination of information and public advisories on the health effects of mold.

After the two year audit, the GAO made two simple recommendations to the EPA:

U.S. GAO – Indoor Mold: Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts.

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality [CIAQ] to help articulate and guide research priorities on indoor mold across relevant federal agencies, coordinate information sharing on ongoing and planned research activities among agencies, and provide information to the public on ongoing research activities to better ensure that federal research on the health effects of exposure to indoor mold is effectively addressing research needs and efficiently using scarce federal resources.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

What has the GAO done to follow up on the above recommendation?

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality [CIAQ] to help relevant agencies review their existing guidance to the public on indoor mold–considering the audience and purpose of the guidance documents–to better ensure that it sufficiently alerts the public, especially vulnerable populations, about the potential adverse health effects of exposure to indoor mold and educates them on how to minimize exposure in homes. The reviews should take into account the best available information and ensure that the guidance does not conflict among agencies.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

I am writing you today because I am fed up with the politics that is adverse to the health and safety of the American public. Four years after the audit request into the health effects of mold by the late Senator Edward Kennedy and we are STILL no further along to stop the deceit in science over the mold issue than we were four years ago.

The EPA is trying to shut down Federal interagency coordination on the health effects of mold via their CIAQ. One of the members of this purported public interest workgroup that would greatly benefit from the self destructing of any interagency coordination is FEMA.

Two of FEMA’s expert defense witnesses that they are using to defeat financial liability for sickness caused by the Katrina trailers are the authors of the US Chamber of Commerce’s position statement on mold, “A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold” (2003). The Chamber paper claims it is scientifically proven all claims of illness from mold are only made because of “trial lawyers, media, and junk science.” Page 65.

Besides authoring the Chamber’s “scientific” view which absurdly professes to scientifically prove the toxins of mold are not toxic; FEMA’s mold experts and the owners of VeriTox, Inc, Bryan Hardin and Bruce Kelman, also authored the mold position statement for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. (ACOEM).

Their conclusion that it is scientifically proven the toxin of mold are not toxic to humans have NEVER been duplicated. Never. Not ever. Never.

ACOEM’s part in the Federally sanctioned mold debacle is, “Adverse Human Health Effects of Mold Associated With the Indoor Environment” (2002)

FEMA’s Expert Witness List includes the US Chamber/ACOEM authors of VeriTox, Inc. Bruce Kelman and Coreen Robbins.

SEE 23 MINUTE VIDEO DEPOSITION OF FEMA’S EXPERT, BRUCE KELMAN, BEING FORCED TO DISCUSS THE DECEIT IN SCIENCE OF THE US CHAMBER ET AL;

As I think you are aware, VeriTox has been trying to silence me about the deceit in science mass marketed to the courts by the US Chamber of Commerce et al., by strategically litigating in the San Diego court system for five years. They sued me for the word “altered” that was within the first public outing of White Collars teaming with White Coats to perpetrate a fraud on US courts.

It has cost me well over $1M not to be silenced in the name of public health. My family has been harmed and held out in despicable false light by unscrupulous journalists  Daniel Heimpel and Jill Stewart of LA Weekly, trying to silence and discredit me and thereby discredit the words of all the mold sick and injured.

Even the Manhattan Institute, (architects of the US Chamber’s/FEMA’s scientific fraud that falsely claims to be written by a physician), blogged that Daniel Heimpel (who won the LA Press Club Award for Political Investigative Journalist, 2008) and Jill Stewart falsely quoted them in Heimpel and Stewart’s horrid and politically motivated yellow journalism. No less than 10 people stated they were falsely quoted or not even interviewed by Heimpel. Jill Stewart sits on the board of the LA Press Club.

Brian Hardin is a retired US Assistant Surgeon General/Deputy Director of NIOSH. Bruce Kelman (FEMA’s Expert Witness) comes to the mold issue from Big Tobacco. Heimpel and Stewart knew this when they wrote. Heimpel has now morphed into an award winning children’s advocate “investigative reporter” for Newsweek and the Huffington Post. The parent company of LA Weekly, Village Voice Media, knew Heimpel’s and Stewart’s writing was promoting a scientific fraud adverse to public safety and health over the mold issue, as they had run a legitimate article on the health effects of mold 3 years earlier.

After five years, the San Diego courts FINALLY seem to be getting a clue about this strategic litigation being adverse to public health. They are asking questions with answers submitted in Response to the Courts Query on January 28, 2010.

WHEN this Reviewing Court acknowledges what legally cannot be
denied: Kramer’s overwhelming, uncontroverted and irrefutable evidence that seven judges and justices ignored Kramer’s overwhelming, uncontroverted and irrefutable evidence of Kelman’s perjury on the issue of malice and ignored Kramer’s vast evidence of Scheuer’s willful suborning of Kelman’s criminal perjury; THEN seven years worth of scientific fraud perpetrated on US Courts over the mold issue by the US Chamber of Commerce et al, will immediately cease by the acknowledgment that their author of their scientific fraud has no qualms about lying under oath to the courts and strategically litigating; and while their other author does not disclose he is a party to the strategic litigation.”

As was known in 2007 when the GAO and Senate HELP Committee Specifically deleted looking into the conflicts of interest over the mold issue; ACOEM and the two VeriTox owners, Bruce Kelman and Bryan Hardin, had been written about on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in January 2007 for their escapades over mold and how it was carried out for the purpose of unduly influencing litigation adverse to the interest of the American public.

Given the above, I can’t help but feel that the GAO and Senate HELP are themselves partially responsible for the situation of continued conflicts of interest within the EPA and FEMA; wasted tax dollars; and Federal “science” that not in the public interest with regard to serious mold induced illnesses in US citizens. One can hardly even pick up a newspaper these days without reading of the EPA, FEMA and elected government officials feigning ignorance.

If the following aspect of the GAO audit that was to look into the conflicts of interest over mold induced illness had not been Specifically deleted from being investigated in the audit; then this political gamemanship of the US Chamber of Commerce et al, would have been forced to stop long ago to the benefit of the American public.

Specifically deleted from the GAO audit:
“What medical and scientific standards are used in determining the admissibility of evidence of both acute and persistent health consequences resulting from exposure to mold? Which individuals and organizations have promulgated these standards and what, if any, conflicts of interest exist regarding these standards?”

The CIAQ Webinar of February 3, 2010 could only be described as disgusting, disrespectful to the public and adverse to the health and safety of the American public. There was no mention or any progress report of any Federal Interagency Workgroup of Mold on the agenda. This is because they were directed not to meet by David Rowson of the EPA.

When Mr. David Rowson, Director, Center for Asthma and Schools, Indoor Environments Divison, US EPA was asked questions during the Feb 3 rd meeting regarding the progress of the interagency mold workgroup; he hemmed and hawed and stated that the approximate 50 US citizens on the line of the teleconference would have to wait til the end of the meeting for it to be discussed.

Despite the lack of respect for the American public, approximately 35 citizens did stay on the line for over 3 hours waiting to be heard only to have Mr. Rowson leave the meeting room when they were finally able to speak at 4PM.

Mr. Phillip Jalbert, who heads the CIAQ, has been doing the best he can to follow through on the recommendations of the GAO for the benefit of public health – with No funding provided to him to carry out the important change for public health and obviously no support for the GAO recommendations within the EPA – with FEMA benefiting from NOT INFORMING the public and NOT SENDING CONSISTENT MESSAGING from our Federal government.

The lunacy of the matter at hand is best summed up by neurotoxicologist, Dr. Kennith Hudnell, who has done much research into the health effects of the toxic components of mold and left the EPA over two years ago. Although Dr. Hudnell could not stay on the phone for over 3 hours on Feb 3, the following is the statement he was prepared to make:

“I am Dr. Ken Hudnell. I served as a neurotoxicologist at EPA for 23 years. My focus for the last dozen years was on biotoxins and associated human illness, including fungal mycotoxin-induced illness. The Federal Interagency Committee on IAQ is needed to ensure Federal agencies give consistent information on mold-related illness, enable one group to be aware of all Federal efforts on the topic and fill any research gaps, and reduce duplication of effort. It is hard to imagine that some people still do not recognize the need for stronger interagency coordination. How else can our country take a cohesive and comprehensive approach toward solutions for mold-related illness and other major challenges that we face?”

H Kenneth Hudnell, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC 27517″

Evidence of more lunacy of the matter and conflicts of interest within the Federal Government, is a Video of Bruce Kelman literally laughing at the thousands of people who have requested a Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Hearing into the matter.

Apparently Mr. Kelman was right to laugh. No such Government Oversight hearing has ever come to fruition in spite of the pleas of thousands; and FEMA is now using the deceit of the US Chamber against Katrina victims, just like the Department of Justice has used the deceptive science of the US Chamber against sick military families living in moldy military housing.

Tell me again, for WHOM does the Federal government work and HOW are my tax dollars being used in the interest of US citizens?????  Given the situation at hand; and what is at stake for the health and safety of the American public; I have three questions for the GAO:

1. WHAT is the GAO’s intent of following up on their recommendations to the EPA regarding the work of the CIAQ to promote accurate, consistent mold health information?

2. WHERE is the change we were promised with the Obama Administration? From what I am witnessing, I see no difference from the Bush Administration with regard to serious environmentally induced illnesses in the United States of America and the insurance industry’s influence over both sides of the isles of Congress.

3. Does NO ONE in our Federal Government have the strength, inclination or desire to stand up to the US Chamber of Commerce, the Insurance Industry and their medical frontmen for the sake of the health and welfare of the American public??????  

Sorry to be so directly brutal, Nic, but unnecessary death and illness in the American public and Federal conflicts of interest adverse to public health and safety is a brutal subject. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Sharon
760-746-8026

EPA CIAQ: GAO Mold Audit Workgroup doesn’t report in – What is going on at the EPA? – Indoor air pollution and mold aren’t top priorities?

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

“Government agencies refer the sick to two medical associations who [sic, purportedly] have physicians knowledgeable about mold induced illnesses, the ACOEM and the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics. But the clinics are run by physicians who also members of ACOEM and adhere mostly to the teachings of ACOEM. So, the sick are being referred by our government to those who deny mold causes serious illnesses. These are the same clinics that employers or insurers often times send patients to for independent medical exams that are then used against the sick as a weapon to deny liability for causing their illness because they know the doctors don’t acknowledge mold causes serious illness. The sick are victimized all over again.” Mary Mulvey Jacobson (Testimony before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health – H2181 – An Act Relative to Air Quality in Schools and Other Public Buildings)

“In the late 70’s, buildings in the US began to be constructed more airtight to promote energy efficiency. Manmade materials such as particle board and dry wall began to be used. These materials easily wick when water is added from floods and leaks in the buildings.

In essence, we transformed our buildings into gigantic petri dishes and provided a food source for molds and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Air conditioners also became the mainstay of construction causing the molds and bacterias to recircluate in the air and spread throughout the buildings.

Over the next twenty years as many buildings experienced water damage, people began to become ill from the mold and bacteria in damp buildings at a rate never before seen in the history of man. Instead of doing the right thing to warn the public and teach the physicians that the buildings were the cause of the increased illnesses, commerce took an orchestrated deceptive measure to stave off the financial liability from the situation.

They systematically marketed false science to the courts that it had been scientifically proven the damp, moldy buildings were no health threat. They brought into the mold issue a toxicologist who had a long term relationship with Big Tobacco, Bruce Kelman PhD; and his business partner, Bryan Hardin PhD. Hardin had just retired from the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (NIOSH). He was beginning a lucrative second career as an expert defense witness in toxic torts bringing his government credentials with him to add credibility. The two men authored two US health policy papers on mold illnesses in 2002 and 2003.

One of the scientifically fraudulent policy papers is presented to the courts as being the scientific opinion of thousands of knowledgeable physicians, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Adverse Human Health Effects of Molds In the Indoor Environment – an evidence based position statement.

The other policy paper authored by Kelman and Hardin was specifically written and paid for by the Manhattan Institute think-tank to be shared with judges by the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). Judges are “educated” by the ILR that it had been scientifically proven claims of illness from the toxins of mold are only being made because of “trial lawyers”, ”media” and “Junk Science”.

The Chamber paper that was SPECIFICALLY written for judges – “A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold”

Kelman and Hardin had no research backgrounds in mold, yet they professed to prove what no one else has proven before them or since – that it is scientifically determined the poisons of mold do not poison when people are exposed in damp buildings. They accomplished their novel scientific feat simply by applying mathematical extrapolations to data they borrowed from someone else’s high dose, single mold exposure rodent study. Adding unscientific hypotheticals that fly in the face of the basic tenets of toxicology, their mass marketed nonsequitor of science has saved many a building stakeholder hundreds of thousands of dollars in mold litigation.

Their nonsense was legitimized as “evidence based” science by ACOEM in 2002. ACOEM is not a college. It is a trade association made up largely of company doctors who oversee workers compensation claims. The organization is discussed four times in Dr. David Michaels’ book ‘Doubt Is Their Product, How Industry’s Assault On Science Threatens Your Health’ for their various antics over the years for adding undue legitimacy to the ability to legally deny causation of environmental illnesses that are costly for commerce and industry.

I find it disgusting that the National Apartment Association PAC would submit an amicus curie brief, August 31, 2009, in a litigation involving two new born infant deaths and a moldy apartment complex while, stating, “In a report entitled, ‘A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold’, a panel of scientists, including toxicologists and industrial hygienists stated that years of intense study have failed to produce any causal connection between exposure to indoor mold and adverse health effects. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold (2003) at p. 64 and p. 65″.

This is because I know and possess incontrovertible evidence that the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) “Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold” is the marketing of a scientific fraud along with her the sister paper, ACOEM’s position statement on mold.

The US Chamber ILR “Scientific View” cites false authorship of having a physician co-author as one of the “panel of scientists”. In reality no physician had anything to do with the ILR’s deceptive marketing piece specifically written for judges. The authors, Kelman and Hardin, do not acknowledge they are the authors of the “scientific view” on their curriculum vitaes as the scientific fraud insidiously makes its way into litigations where they are generating income from expert witnessing for the defense. Such is the case in Arizona involving the two infant deaths and a $25 million dollar insurance policy issued by Travelers Insurance.

What is even more disturbing is that our elected officials in Washington DC on both sides of the isle are well aware of the deceit of the US Chamber ILR and company over the mold issue; yet they remain mum and take no action even when directly requested to do so by thousands.

In the words of Eliot Spitzer in Slate Magazine, October 15, 2009, and regarding lack of accountability for the deceptive practices of the US Chamber of Commerce, “The passivity of the publicly elected officials who have the capacity to raise these issues has been a bit surprising.”

The reality is, state and federal elected officials in the United States of America know it is the kiss of death to their political careers to directly challenge the US Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has a notorious reputation of instigating smear campaigns and filing lawsuits to vex, harass and silence detractors. As a result of the lack of action by elected officials, US citizens bare the burden and experience the devastating effects from the “Scientific View of the Health Effects of…….Gold.”

Disclosure: In March of 2005, I was the first to publicly write of the unholy union of ACOEM, the Manhattan Institute, the US Chamber of Commerce, Congressman Gary Miller, Bruce Kelman and VeriTox, Inc (formerly known as GlobalTox) over the marketing of a scientific fraud on the courts with regard to the mold issue. Kelman and Veritox sued me claiming the phrase “altered his under oath statements” was a false accusation of perjury made with malice. Since September of 2005, I have been informing the San Diego courts with uncontroverted evidence that Kelman committed perjury as to why I would have malice – in a litigation where his sole claim is that I falsely accused him of being one who would commit perjury. Kelman v. Kramer Case No. D054496 Fourth District Division One Court of Appeal, San Diego.

Since September of 2005, seven San Diego judges and justices have been provided with the uncontroverted evidence of Kelman’s perjury on the issue of malice, including Presiding Justice Judith McConnell who Chairs the California Judicial Review Committee. Amazingly the uncontroverted evidence of Kelman’s perjury is repeatedly ignored by the San Diego judges and justices in a litigation containing information that is detrimental to the interests of the US Chamber of Commerce should their scientific fraud on the courts come to greater public light.”

As taken from page 9 of the August 31, 2009, NAA amicus curie brief submitted in the case of Tricia Mason, et al., Kaitlyn Morris, et al., April Abad et. al., Alicia Stewart, et al. v. Wasatch Prop. Mgmt., Inc., et al. Consolidated:

“In a report entitled, A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold, a panel of scientists, including toxicologists and industrial hygienists stated that years of intense study have failed to produce any causal connection between exposure to indoor mold and adverse health effects. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold (2003) at p. 64 and p. 65″.

There was no “panel of scientists” that authored the Chamber ILR’s scientific view. Only a long time tobacco scientist, Bruce Kelman, and his business partner, Bryan Hardin. These two have been publicly exposed for their involvement of marketing garbage science to the courts over the mold issue before. In January of 2007, the Wall Street Journal ran a front page expose titled “Amid Suits Over Mold Experts Wear Two Hats, Authors of Science Paper Often Cited By Defense Also Help In Litigation.” Kelman and Hardin were the “authors of science papers” noted in the title.

In a day when no one questions the US Chamber of Commerce’s deceptive science over global warming and their influence over legislators in Washington DC, I question why this deceit before the courts is permitted to continue over the mold issue? I feel completely confident in stating that I have personally witnessed a scientific view of the health effects of GOLD.

Below is a video of Bruce Kelman, under oath, discussing the scientific foundation, payment and false authorship for the Chamber’s “scientific view” that the NAA has submitted in the Arizona mold litigation case involving the two new born infant deaths.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

VIDEO – US CHAMBER – SCIENTIFIC VIEW OF THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF…GOLD

WSJ – Court of Opinion – Authors of Science Paper Often Cited by Defense Also Help in Litigation – Corruption & Deceit in Mold Litigation – ACOEM / US Chamber

Chamber Paper Cites False Authorship
Testimony, Bruce J. Kelman June 22, 2004
US. Chamber of Commerce Mold Statement (aka Manhattan Institute Version) July 2003
Testimony, Andrew Saxon, November 28, 2006
Testimony, Bruce J. Kelman, February 18, 2005

Billing records to the Manhattan Institute – Bruce Kelman (GlobalTox) serving as an expert for Phillip Morris in the Big Tobacco RICO

Bruce Kelman (GlobalTox) serving as expert witness for Phillip Morris in the Big Tobacco RICO of United States of America v. Phillip Morris et al when the ACOEM & the Chamber used him to author the litigation “defense paper”

VeriTox 3 min video illustrating perjury & attempted coercion into silence by Bruce Kelman

Opinion written by Justice McConnell refusing to acknowledge evidence of Kelman’s perjury on the issue of malice when denying Anti-SLAPP motion“Kramer asked us to take judicial notice of additional documents, including the complaint and an excerpt from Kelman’s deposition in her lawsuit against her insurance company. We decline to do so as it does not appear these items were presented to the trial court.”

Attempted Coercion into Silence – required to retract info to Senate HELP Committee to stop strategic litigation

WATCHDOG ON SCIENCE – Corrupt Doctors: The UNTOLD Mold Story – Sharon Kramer speaks on the conflict of interest between trade group ACOEM and the need to defend people who are sickened by mold. She reports on her efforts to get a Congressional Investigation on this conflict of interest and the role of Senator Edward Kennedy on deleting this aspect in the GAO Audit.

Dr. James Craner’s IJOEH Commentary of ACOEM’s Deceit On Mold – a litigation “defense report”

Sharon Kramer’s Public Comment to Senate HELP Committee – Need For Clear Definition Of The Term “Evidence Based” In The American Health Choice Act – ACOEM – Conflict & Deceit – Toxic Mold

Mary Mulvey Jacobson – Testimony before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health – H2181 – An Act Relative to Air Quality in Schools and Other Public Buildings

Support Letters for Hearing on Mold Illnesses and Industry Influence to Henry Waxman, Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform – documented conflicts of interest, undue industry influence and the misinformation that has been systematically promoted to medical communities because it is costly to insurers and other stakeholder industries should causation of these illnesses be better understood

Congressman Henry Waxman Ignoring The Pleas Of Thousands To Investigate

Alberto Gonzales & Dept of Justice using US Chamber ILR Authors Against Children Made Ill In Military Housing

Kelman and Robbins (Veritox co-owner) testifying for the DOJ

TOXLAW.com – FOX – Mold Sick Military Family – Will DOJ use ACOEM again?

ToxLaw.com – Another Sick Teacher Speaks Out Against ACOEM Mold Statement – State Board of Health – Olympia, Washington

ConflictedScienceMold

Chamber of Horrors – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce must be stopped. Here’s how to do it – Eliot Spitzer

Chamber Sues the Yes Men – Mother Jones

 

NAA Files Amicus Brief in Mold Case

Brief of Amicus Curiae National Apartment Association

Motion for leave to file Brief Of Amicus Curiae national Apartment Association

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

National Apartment Assn Contributors – OpenSecrets

National Apartment Assn Contributions to Federal Candidates – OpenSecrets

National Apartment Assn – OpenSecretsPAC Recipients

National Apartment Assn – OpenSecretsFundraising/Spending by Cycle

George W. Bush, NAA’s key note speaker for upcoming “educational” meeting

 

A FEW LINKS TO THE TRUE HEALTH EFFECTS OF INDOOR MOLD TOXINS – MOLD LITIGATION & THE POLITICS OF MOLD

Video – The TRUTH about current scientific understanding of mold induced illnesses – ConflictedScienceMold

Truth About Mold

WHO Submission of Additional Publications Regarding Molds & Mycotoxins – Cheryl Wisecup’s response to request by the EPA

 WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality – Dampness and Mold – PDF

WHO – Right to Healthy Indoor Air

Logjam at CDC – School Mold Help.org request for CDC to update mold info to correspond with that produced by the World Health Organization – July 2009 & the results of communication with Dr. Paul L. Garbe – Chief of Air Pollution & Respiratory Branch

Home Inspections – Mold Reporting vs Protecting Big Business Interests over Human Life – Recommendations Proposed by Teresa McCormick – Microbiologist

Jones v. Steve Jones Auto Group (Re: Exposure to mold in the workplace) – findings of fact that Plaintiff’s exposure to mold at his place of work caused his illness – disability approved by North Carolina Court of Appeals

Judge grants SSI Disability for mold-related injuries, accepting medical testimony linking physical and cognitive impairments to mold exposure

More mold complaints against apartment complex – Follow up to – Jacksonville mom says apartment mold, asbestos caused son’s asthma death – Village of Baymeadows Apartments

Arizona Jury Awards Tenant $3.3 Million for Cognitive & Physical Injuries from Mold

2007 – Plaintiff – 1.6 Million – Court Finds Causal Link – Toxic Mold

ToxLaw.com – VA Supreme Court has refused Drees Co.’s petition for appeal – Meng 1.4 million judgement – construction defects led to debilitating mold-related injuries

Video – Tenant Sickened By Mold Awarded $1 Million – Landlords Ignored Complaints & Continued Leasing

Housing Authority Tenant Awarded $303,834 Verdict For Mold Apartment Claims

Affordable Housing Institute – The Challenge of Mold – The Sickness & The Litigation

The American Dream Home – Promise, Defects, Mold, Policy, Litigation, Medicine & Insurance

CA Appellate Decision – Mold Env. Hazard (unpublished) – Filed 2/4/09 Johnson v. Clarendon National Ins. CA4/3

Eastern District of New York Recognizes “Medical Monitoring” in a Toxic Mold Exposure as a Cause of Action

 

Information about Riverstone Residential, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and the owners of Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana allowing tenants to be exposed to extreme amounts of toxins from molds by intentionally concealing evidence

Irrefutable evidence indicates that Riverstone Residential, Guarantee Service Team of Professionals, & plaintiffs’ attorney, J Arthur Smith III, must have agreed to exclude evidence that would have shown the owners of Jefferson Lakes Apartments & Riverstone Residential had knowledge of the severe MOLD INFESTATION at the complex before we moved in

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

Posted in Environmental Health Threats, FEMA Trailers, Health - Medical - Science, Mold and Politics, Mold Litigation, Politics, Toxic Mold, US Chamber of Commerce | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GAO Recommendations to EPA on Mold not being followed – FEMA – Katrina Trailers

From: SNK1955@aol.com
To: SlossN@gao.gov
Sent: 2/9/2010 12:13:32 P.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: GAO Recommendations to EPA on Mold not being followed. FEMA Katrina Trailers

Hi Nicholas,

How are you? I was wondering what the GAO is doing to follow up on its two recommendations to the EPA with regard to Federal interagency coordination of information and public advisories on the health effects of mold.

After the two year audit, the GAO made two simple recommendations to the EPA:

U.S. GAO – Indoor Mold: Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts. [http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-980 ]

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality [CIAQ] to help articulate and guide research priorities on indoor mold across relevant federal agencies, coordinate information sharing on ongoing and planned research activities among agencies, and provide information to the public on ongoing research activities to better ensure that federal research on the health effects of exposure to indoor mold is effectively addressing research needs and efficiently using scarce federal resources.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

What has the GAO done to follow up on the above recommendation?

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality [CIAQ] to help relevant agencies review their existing guidance to the public on indoor mold–considering the audience and purpose of the guidance documents–to better ensure that it sufficiently alerts the public, especially vulnerable populations, about the potential adverse health effects of exposure to indoor mold and educates them on how to minimize exposure in homes. The reviews should take into account the best available information and ensure that the guidance does not conflict among agencies.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

I am writing you today because I am fed up with the politics that is adverse to the health and safety of the American public. Four years after the audit request into the health effects of mold by the late Senator Edward Kennedy and we are STILL no further along to stop the deceit in science over the mold issue than we were four years ago.

The EPA is trying to shut down Federal interagency coordination on the health effects of mold via their CIAQ. One of the members of this purported public interest workgroup that would greatly benefit from the self destructing of any interagency coordination is FEMA.

Two of FEMA’s expert defense witnesses that they are using to defeat financial liability for sickness caused by the Katrina trailers are the authors of the US Chamber of Commerce’s position statement on mold, “A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold” (2003). The Chamber paper claims it is scientifically proven all claims of illness from mold are only made because of “trial lawyers, media, and junk science.” Page 65.

Besides authoring the Chamber’s “scientific” view which absurdly professes to scientifically prove the toxins of mold are not toxic; FEMA’s mold experts and the owners of VeriTox, Inc, Bryan Hardin and Bruce Kelman, also authored the mold position statement for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. (ACOEM).

Their conclusion that it is scientifically proven the toxin of mold are not toxic to humans have NEVER been duplicated. Never. Not ever. Never.

ACOEM’s part in the Federally sanctioned mold debacle is, “Adverse Human Health Effects of Mold Associated With the Indoor Environment” (2002)

FEMA’s Expert Witness List includes the US Chamber/ACOEM authors of VeriTox, Inc. Bruce Kelman and Coreen Robbins.

SEE 23 MINUTE VIDEO DEPOSITION OF FEMA’S EXPERT, BRUCE KELMAN, BEING FORCED TO DISCUSS THE DECEIT IN SCIENCE OF THE US CHAMBER ET AL;

As I think you are aware, VeriTox has been trying to silence me about the deceit in science mass marketed to the courts by the US Chamber of Commerce et al., by strategically litigating in the San Diego court system for five years. They sued me for the word “altered” that was within the first public outing of White Collars teaming with White Coats to perpetrate a fraud on US courts.

It has cost me well over $1M not to be silenced in the name of public health. My family has been harmed and held out in despicable false light by unscrupulous journalists Daniel Heimpel and Jill Stewart of LA Weekly, trying to silence and discredit me and thereby discredit the words of all the mold sick and injured.

Even the Manhattan Institute, (architects of the US Chamber’s/FEMA’s scientific fraud that falsely claims to be written by a physician), blogged that Daniel Heimpel (who won the LA Press Club Award for Political Investigative Journalist, 2008) and Jill Stewart falsely quoted them in Heimpel and Stewart’s horrid and politically motivated yellow journalism. No less than 10 people stated they were falsely quoted or not even interviewed by Heimpel. Jill Stewart sits on the board of the LA Press Club.

Brian Hardin is a retired US Assistant Surgeon General/Deputy Director of NIOSH. Bruce Kelman (FEMA’s Expert Witness) comes to the mold issue from Big Tobacco. Heimpel and Stewart knew this when they wrote. Heimpel has now morphed into an award winning children’s advocate “investigative reporter” for Newsweek and the Huffington Post. The parent company of LA Weekly, Village Voice Media, knew Heimpel’s and Stewart’s writing was promoting a scientific fraud adverse to public safety and health over the mold issue, as they had run a legitimate article on the health effects of mold 3 years earlier.

After five years, the San Diego courts FINALLY seem to be getting a clue about this strategic litigation being adverse to public health. They are asking questions with answers submitted in Response to the Courts Query on January 28, 2010.

WHEN this Reviewing Court acknowledges what legally cannot be
denied: Kramer’s overwhelming, uncontroverted and irrefutable evidence that seven judges and justices ignored Kramer’s overwhelming, uncontroverted and irrefutable evidence of Kelman’s perjury on the issue of malice and ignored Kramer’s vast evidence of Scheuer’s willful suborning of Kelman’s criminal perjury; THEN seven years worth of scientific fraud perpetrated on US Courts over the mold issue by the US Chamber of Commerce et al, will immediately cease by the acknowledgment that their author of their scientific fraud has no qualms about lying under oath to the courts and strategically litigating; and while their other author does not disclose he is a party to the strategic litigation.”

As was known in 2007 when the GAO and Senate HELP Committee Specifically deleted looking into the conflicts of interest over the mold issue; ACOEM and the two VeriTox owners, Bruce Kelman and Bryan Hardin, had been written about on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in January 2007 for their escapades over mold and how it was carried out for the purpose of unduly influencing litigation adverse to the interest of the American public.

Given the above, I can’t help but feel that the GAO and Senate HELP are themselves partially responsible for the situation of continued conflicts of interest within the EPA and FEMA; wasted tax dollars; and Federal “science” that not in the public interest with regard to serious mold induced illnesses in US citizens. One can hardly even pick up a newspaper these days without reading of the EPA, FEMA and elected government officials feigning ignorance.

If the following aspect of the GAO audit that was to look into the conflicts of interest over mold induced illness had not been Specifically deleted from being investigated in the audit; then this political gamemanship of the US Chamber of Commerce et al, would have been forced to stop long ago to the benefit of the American public.

Specifically deleted from the GAO audit:
“What medical and scientific standards are used in determining the admissibility of evidence of both acute and persistent health consequences resulting from exposure to mold? Which individuals and organizations have promulgated these standards and what, if any, conflicts of interest exist regarding these standards?”

The CIAQ Webinar of February 3, 2010 could only be described as disgusting, disrespectful to the public and adverse to the health and safety of the American public. There was no mention or any progress report of any Federal Interagency Workgroup of Mold on the agenda. This is because they were directed not to meet by David Rowson of the EPA.

When Mr. David Rowson, Director, Center for Asthma and Schools, Indoor Environments Divison, US EPA was asked questions during the Feb 3 rd meeting regarding the progress of the interagency mold workgroup; he hemmed and hawed and stated that the approximate 50 US citizens on the line of the teleconference would have to wait til the end of the meeting for it to be discussed.

Despite the lack of respect for the American public, approximately 35 citizens did stay on the line for over 3 hours waiting to be heard only to have Mr. Rowson leave the meeting room when they were finally able to speak at 4PM.

Mr. Phillip Jalbert, who heads the CIAQ, has been doing the best he can to follow through on the recommendations of the GAO for the benefit of public health – with No funding provided to him to carry out the important change for public health and obviously no support for the GAO recommendations within the EPA – with FEMA benefiting from NOT INFORMING the public and NOT SENDING CONSISTENT MESSAGING from our Federal government.

The lunacy of the matter at hand is best summed up by neurotoxicologist, Dr. Kennith Hudnell, who has done much research into the health effects of the toxic components of mold and left the EPA over two years ago. Although Dr. Hudnell could not stay on the phone for over 3 hours on Feb 3, the following is the statement he was prepared to make:

“I am Dr. Ken Hudnell. I served as a neurotoxicologist at EPA for 23 years. My focus for the last dozen years was on biotoxins and associated human illness, including fungal mycotoxin-induced illness. The Federal Interagency Committee on IAQ is needed to ensure Federal agencies give consistent information on mold-related illness, enable one group to be aware of all Federal efforts on the topic and fill any research gaps, and reduce duplication of effort. It is hard to imagine that some people still do not recognize the need for stronger interagency coordination. How else can our country take a cohesive and comprehensive approach toward solutions for mold-related illness and other major challenges that we face?”

H Kenneth Hudnell, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC 27517″

Evidence of more lunacy of the matter and conflicts of interest within the Federal Government, is a Video of Bruce Kelman literally laughing at the thousands of people who have requested a Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Hearing into the matter.

Apparently Mr. Kelman was right to laugh. No such Government Oversight hearing has ever come to fruition in spite of the pleas of thousands; and FEMA is now using the deceit of the US Chamber against Katrina victims, just like the Department of Justice has used the deceptive science of the US Chamber against sick military families living in moldy military housing.

Tell me again, for WHOM does the Federal government work and HOW are my tax dollars being used in the interest of US citizens????? Given the situation at hand; and what is at stake for the health and safety of the American public; I have three questions for the GAO:

1. WHAT is the GAO’s intent of following up on their recommendations to the EPA regarding the work of the CIAQ to promote accurate, consistent mold health information?

2. WHERE is the change we were promised with the Obama Administration? From what I am witnessing, I see no difference from the Bush Administration with regard to serious environmentally induced illnesses in the United States of America and the insurance industry’s influence over both sides of the isles of Congress.

3. Does NO ONE in our Federal Government have the strength, inclination or desire to stand up to the US Chamber of Commerce, the Insurance Industry and their medical frontmen for the sake of the health and welfare of the American public??????

Sorry to be so directly brutal, Nic, but unnecessary death and illness in the American public and Federal conflicts of interest adverse to public health and safety is a brutal subject. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Sharon
760-746-8026

EPA CIAQ: GAO Mold Audit Workgroup doesn’t report in – What is going on at the EPA? – Indoor air pollution and mold aren’t top priorities?

Certain Corporate and Government Interests Have Spent Huge Sums of Money and Resources DENYING THE TRUTH about the HEALTH EFFECTS of TOXIC MOLD

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) – files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

Information on Riverstone Residential knowingly exposing tenants to extreme amounts of mold toxins at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

Posted in Environmental Health Threats, Health - Medical - Science, Mold and Politics, Mold Litigation, Politics, Toxic Mold, US Chamber of Commerce | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alabama State House – Health concerns about mold – doctors for two employees with serious health problems attributed those to the environment at their work

February 7, 2010

By Sebastian Kitchen

Dianne Harper’s doctor attributes the two painful surgeries on her sinuses to her 18 years of work in the Alabama State House.

The surgeries included scraping, a more than three-hour procedure to remove fungus the doctor compared to the consistency of soft serve ice cream, and later putting in a stent to try to deter future growth.

“He said he hadn’t seen anything quite like it,” Harper said.

She said the doctor attributes the fungus to the environment and is 99 percent certain it is from the State House. He even asked her if she could be moved to a different building.

Harper is not the only employee who has voiced her concern about the possible adverse effects on her health to the men who manage the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate on a daily basis. Those men said they also are concerned about the working environment.

A ‘sick building’

“I think it’s a sick building,” said Greg Pappas, the clerk of the House, who manages the operations and employees on a daily basis. “If you look behind these wall coverings you can see mold and mildew.”

Many air vents in the building, in offices and in the House and Senate chambers, have mildew or other growth on and around them.

Some offices, including Pappas’, have damage from water that has come through the ceiling or the windows.

In some offices, including the room used by the press on the first floor, the wallpaper is peeling back and growth can be seen on the wall.

While most people said there were problems there before the major flooding that hit central Alabama in May, they say those problems have intensified since the basement, first floor and other parts of the building flowed with water, forcing the Legislature to move across the street to the historic chambers at the Capitol for the first time since the 1980s.

Pappas said doctors for two employees in the House of Representatives who have serious health problems attributed those to the environment at their work. He was talking about Harper and another employee, whose doctor also suggested that he not work in the building.

“People ought to be concerned about it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a healthy building.”

Harper took swabs of her office and the office next door, which is used by Rep. Greg Canfield.

She showed the Montgomery Advertiser the results of the tests, which were performed by the laboratory at Jackson Hospital and Clinic Inc., and at the state laboratory.

Those results showed two different mold species, penicillium and cladosporium. Penicillium is a common mold that can produce toxins and cladosporium is also a common fungus that can be a significant allergen, according to several Web sites.

Harper, a clerk for committees including the legislative contract review committee, said she is concerned about the long-term effects on her and other employees. She is also concerned about the regular CAT scans that are performed on her to see whether the fungus growth is coming back.

20 health complaints

Harper has collected written comments from 20 of her coworkers who have health issues that they attribute to working at the State House. She plans to submit those to the Legislative Building Authority, which oversees the facility, “so it is not just hearsay and they have it on paper.”

Harper said more people have approached her with their stories, but they are reluctant to speak up out of fear of retribution.

State Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said he has concerns about the health of the building and the structural soundness of the State House, which he said appears to be aging much faster after the massive flooding in May.

“This is not the healthy building the private sector or public sector would want,” Bedford said. But, he added, there is not public support to build a new government building.

Staff for the House and Senate talked to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had someone from the University of North Alabama examine the building, and talked with an official with the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Pappas said the health department does not have a division to handle similar issues.

The staff said there was not a conclusive standard to determine the air quality in the building. Dave Avant, administrative assistant to the secretary of the Senate, said people have different tolerance levels and there is no barometer of what will make people sick.

“It’s hard to get anybody to come in and say it’s a sick building,” Pappas said.

Don Ladner, administrative assistant to the clerk of the House, thought that might be because of legal concerns or issues with federal standards.

“You mention mold and nobody wants to sign off on it that you’ve got a problem,” he said.

Another Senate official, Dowe Littleton, said they were told that there is not a way to determine whether the employees are sick because of air quality at work or because of conditions elsewhere, such as at their homes.

Little recourse

Pappas and Avant said the EPA informed them there was not much that it could do.

Henry Slack of the Atlanta office of the EPA visited the State House in June. He offered generic advice to try to improve the work environment, according to legislative staff.

Carl Terry, spokesman with District IV of the EPA that covers the Southeast, said Slack was in Montgomery to attend a meeting and went to the State House to offer advice. The visit was not an official inspection and Slack did not write a report, he said.

“We have no statutory rights with regards to mold,” Terry said. “We have no enforcement program with regards to that.”

He said it was obvious there had been flooding in the building and there was a serious moisture problem.

“That results in problems with mold and mildew,” Terry said. “A mold problem is common with a moisture problem.”

Slack, he said, shared the EPA’s Web site address and toll-free number for more information.

“When moisture problems occur and mold growth results, building occupants may begin to report odors and a variety of health problems, such as headaches, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, allergic reactions, and aggravation of asthma symptoms; all of these symptoms could potentially be associated with mold exposure,” according to the EPA Web site.

“All molds have the potential to cause health effects. Molds produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, toxins that may cause reactions in humans. The types and severity of symptoms depend, in part, on the types of mold present, the extent of an individual’s exposure, the ages of the individuals, and their existing sensitivities or allergies.”

Littleton said they have followed Slack’s suggestions that were financially feasible.

“We’ve done all we can,” he said. “We have followed what the expert asked us to do.”

Littleton said there is not the political will to spend the money to make the capital improvements that would be needed, but that they have done what they could to improve the environment, including putting dehumidifiers in offices and in the Senate chamber.

Without a national standard for air quality in the work place, “we are doing the best we can,” Littleton said.

Pappas said there are 19 dehumidifiers in offices on the fifth and sixth floors controlled by the House.

Harper has had the airflow, heating and cooling, shut off into her office. There is also a dehumidifier that runs just outside of her door.

Solutions expensive

Littleton talked to Jean Cox-Ganser with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on the phone. He said she suggested vendors the state could hire.

“It is very expensive,” he said.

Ladner, who said he has problems with nasal drainage when he is in the building, said the environment in the building is perfect for mold because there are leaks, have been at least two floods, and there is vinyl wallpaper that does not allow the walls to breathe.

“You can pull it off and see it,” he said of the mold.

Ladner said he was told by experts that people cannot get rid of the mold.

Top staff at the House and Senate feel they have done due diligence, but do not know where to turn. They also know they are working in an aging building, which was originally built to house the transportation department in 1963 and has old ductwork.

Avant said they tried to find something concrete they could give to lawmakers to demonstrate to them the possible effects on employees, “but you can’t.”

Bedford said he has heard from a number of employees. He said much of the damage from airborne elements comes from accumulation.

Bedford said the Legislative Building Authority needs to look at health issues and consider a way to help, such as increasing ventilation or implementing a mold prevention program.

Rep. Richard Laird, D-Roanoke, has introduced a bill that would allow the authority to sell bonds, to enter into an agreement with the Retirement Systems of Alabama, to hire personnel, to connect to the Capitol, and to take control of some streets and parking lots in the Capitol complex. Laird is chairman of the building authority.

Ladner said he and Pappas would likely not be in their positions by the time a new State House was built.

“For people in the building all the time, they have a right to work in a safe, healthy environment,” Ladner said.

Some lawmakers have talked about building a new State House because of concerns with the current facility, but a lot of those concerns were focused on public access with small meeting rooms.

There does not appear to be the political will, with an election looming and the state struggling financially due to the recession, to build a new State House.

“We think we owe it to employees to offer a safe environment,” Avant said.

But, he said, they are stuck in the building and the options are limited.

“We don’t have another place to put anybody,” Littleton said.

montgomeryadvertiser

FEMA Using US Chamber Fraud in Katrina Trailer Litigation; EPA, GAO & Both Isle$ of Congre$$ Turn Blind Eye$

EPA CIAQ: GAO Mold Audit Workgroup doesn’t report in – What is going on at the EPA? – Indoor air pollution and mold aren’t top priorities?

Certain Corporate and Government Interests Have Spent Huge Sums of Money and Resources DENYING THE TRUTH about the HEALTH EFFECTS of TOXIC MOLD

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) – files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

A letter to the NAA regarding an email they deleted without reading – please retract your amicus in the Abad case in Arizona – it is fraud by a political action committee, the National Apartment Association, that is furthering another fraud by another political action committee, the US Chamber of Commerce

“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer

Information on Riverstone Residential knowingly exposing tenants to extreme amounts of mold toxins at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

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Posted in Environmental Health Threats, Health - Medical - Science, Mold and Politics, Politics, Toxic Mold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment