On December 22, 2010, the Sunswept Apartments apartment complex, which is located in North County, Saint Louis, MO, was closed down because of mold damages. Sixteen families that lived in Sunswept were ordered to get out of their apartments. Saint Louis problem property officer Robert Rinck said "The apartments had pervasive mold damages because of water leaks." Some of the people were sick because of the mold; they had minor colds.

Mold can cause serious health problems, say experts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture state that everybody is at risk for mold poisoning.

Mold is a fungus that grows in multicellular filaments. According to the EPA, mold grows on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter. People are at risk anytime, because mold is floating in the air and so small you cannot see them until they build up like a colony. Mold needs certain things in order to form: water, food, suitable air quality and temperature. Mold forms in places such as food, walls, or any place where it’s moist, hot, and humid.

According to Princeton University and Biosign Laboratory Corporation, mold produces toxins such as mycotoxins. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, some symptoms of mold are wheezing, stuffy or runny noses, itchy watery eyes, and rash or hives.  

According to Nicholas P. Money, a Ph.D. in mycology and author of Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores, “Mold initiates infections mainly in people with damaged immune systems. Some scientists believe that spores of mold cause other illnesses such as bleeding lungs in infants.”

One step that EPA is taking in educating the public is creating a guide for homeowners to follow in case they come across mold.

Other people that are giving tips to prevent mold poisoning include scientists that are part of groups like National Center for Environmental Health and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety

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34 COMMENTS

  1. Congratulations Marquise,I know how hard you worked on the article. Hardwork and dedication to your goals will continue to help to achieve your goals. Thanks for focusing on your studies.

  2. This is an outstanding article! Original news reporting, multiple credible sources, and a good picture to go with it- you’re certainly on top of it! Way to go!

  3. Were any residents physically affected health wise by the mold? Did anyone have any damages serious enough to sue those responsible?

  4. Well I knew about this place having mold in it. But I didnt know that it could kill or seriously harm. I just know wanna make sure my family is ok an get my house checked.:good:ak:congrate

  5. i can relate to this article because my sisters house had mold in it and we didny know and everybody got sick but my sister was the worst cause she was pregnant

  6. the mold unsafe to live n and im glad that their apartments have gottin closed down because i know the people that were living in the 16 apartments that told the people that was over the apartments that they had mold n there home but they just didnt fix it! I hope they sued them for some money and they won there case:ak

  7. I enjoyed that article,I thought it was very interesting to read i like the way you told about the mold and you gave details it makes me want to know more.

  8. I think this was a good article and you gave some good ponits on what it can do to people like poisoning thim.

  9. I’m allergic to Black Mold. I used to live in a house and it had black mold in it and I got sick all the time. I no longer live in that house. Ahh those were the days when I was 5 or 6 years old inhaling in the mold spores and getting sick. Come to think of it that probably affected me a little and thats why I suck at math. No I just suck at math in general. Have you ever heard the Gwar song sick of you that was like me but with the black mold. I’m actually making a metal song called Black Mold. Black Mold also sounds like a death metal band name. You know what a good band is? Black Sabbath. They would be better it their name was Black Mold. One time I got some cheese and it had mold. It wasn’t Black Mold on the cheese just normal Mold. I think Black Mold can make you loose your memory. I think Black Mold can make you loose your memory. I think Black Mold can make you loose your memory. What was I talking about? Oh yeah Black Mold. Black Mold probably doesn’t taste good. Only one way to find out though. After this I’m going to search for Black Mold and eat a piece of it. On the other hand I shouldn’t. Could someone get a piece of Black Mold and eat it and tell me what it wastes like? I bet it tastes like candy. Actually I think it tastes like Black Mold. I think I might be done talking about Black Mold. THe next topic I will talk about is Black Mold. Black Mold is dangerous. But I bet you knew that. That is all I have to say about Black Mold. Stay tuned next time when I talk about Black Mold.

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