Black mold a real problem in Utah, despite dry climate

Amanda Butterfield reportingOver a month ago, we did a story about the toxic black mold that made a Taylorsville family's home unlivable. The entire house had to be torn down to get rid of it. After we showed you that story, we got a lot of e-mails and phone calls from viewers saying the same thing was happening to them.

It was the Grove family with the black mold problem. They had three boys whose health was seriously affected by living in the contaminated home. The Grove parents both were shocked that the problem was black mold, something clean-up crews, even the health department, says is not a problem in Utah because it's so dry. We learned that though it may not be common, it certainly does happen; and if it's in your home, it can be devastating.

A one bathroom, three bedroom rental home is not where the Jeppsons want to raise their six kids. Neighborhood Housing of Provo is letting them stay there out of sympathy while the family decides what to do with their house. They can't live there because it's overrun by a several different kinds of mold, including Stachybotrys, or black mold.

Erin Jeppson says it almost killed their son Ryan. "He was lying lifeless on our kitchen floor, breathing really heavy, really hard." He now has long-term complications.

Doctor Rod Larson, with the Rocky Mountain Center at the University of Utah, told us, "Mold is everywhere and used a lot for positive purposes." He says there's mold in your house right now, but it's not all toxic, and it affects everyone differently. "The most common one is the eye, ears, nose, throat irritation," he said.

The effects of the mold can exacerbate a pre-existing condition. In Ryan's case, he never had breathing problems before, but now he has asthma. He said, "I have to take a lot of medicine every night and every morning."

Erin came down with pneumonia for six weeks. And their youngest son, Riker, now has chronic ear infections. "I know it's from the mold," Erin said.

For weeks they called the county health department and clean-up crews about it, but they say no one listened.

"Calling agencies and asking, ‘What can you do for us? What kind of help is there?' When they don't believe you even have a problem," Michael Jeppson said.

So we called the Utah County Health Department and Salt Lake Valley Health and got similar responses, like this one, from Lance Madigan at Utah County Health: "To be truthful, there has been a lot to do made out of the very little that is mold. Will it kill you or cause serious health threats to most individuals? Probably not." Over the phone, Salt Lake Valley Health gave a similar response -- it's not a big problem.

But a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) disagrees. Terry Bleckner, said, "It's a problem in Utah." He says he tests one or two homes a month for noxious molds. "We have moisture, we have snow, we have water in our pipes, we have sheetrock. Any time you have moisture and organic material like sheetrock and ceiling tiles, you're going to have mold and possibly black mold."

When the Jeppsons finally found a company to test their home, it came back positive, with high levels of molds you've probably never heard of. The cause is a bad repair job in the roof. It's like a Tupperware lid is on the house and no moisture can escape.

Paul Magleby, with Magleby Companies, said, "If you got moisture in the wall cavity, you are in trouble." He says the only thing you can do to try and prevent mold is find its food source -- water. "There's no magic bullet or cure-all pill that will prevent mold growth," he says.

Now, the only solution for the Jeppsons is to gut the house. "We have gotten two loans, pretty big loans, like a second mortgage," Erin said.

But now that the Stachybotrys has been introduced to the home, it can come back.

We also talked with the Grove family tonight. They say their children's health has improved dramatically since they've moved into their new home and the mold is gone.

E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com

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