Mold growing in my wall and Bioligics

I live in an apartment where my window has water pouring in through it and the ceiling for 5 months now. It's due to exterior issues and the apt mgmt has been saying it will be fixed in 3 weeks for 5 months now. I have been feeling extra tired, have a cough I can't get rid of (tore rib cartilage from coughing so hard), and feel achey all over. Thought I had a cold, thought my Crohn's might be flaring up. I smelled a musty smell in my bedroom so apt maintenance painted the wall with mildew kill. I still smelled musty smell, had health dept here. They found mold on carpet tacs, removed those, poured bleach on the walls and called it a day. I still smelled the mold, musty smell. I picked at the wall with scissors. It was so damp it crumbled. There is a ton of mold growing inside my walls. The health dept said it is just an irritant, allergen and it won't bother me. It's not dangerous they said, but they don't test mold.

My problem is that 4/17/12 I have an appt with a specialist who wants me to start Remicade or Cimzia. I have started putting my rent into escrow and have requested a hearing on this matter with the landlord in court. I don't think I can take a biologic while mold is in my apartment wall. The apt mgr just wants to come in here, tear out drywall, then put a mold inhibitor on it. I told her that since I will be starting biologics it is imperative that they get an expert in mold up here, test it to see what kind it is, come up w/ a plan to remove it, and then give me the all clear to stay here and start my meds. I have contacted an attorney and it looks like I will have to sue these people. I am afraid that if the mold is not completely eradicated and I start the biologics (or if I move elsewhere and bring the mold with me) I could end up with a fungal infection in my lungs or elsewhere. Neither the health dept nor apt mgmt seems to understand this. I am going to have this specialist write me a letter stating that w/o my meds my Crohn's will flare up, but that with the meds and mold in the apt that could cause even more problems. I am so frustrated and scared. I don't have the money to move elsewhere and even if I did I am not sure I could until they can tell me the mold type and that it's been eradicated and it's safe for me to move. I don't want to bring this mold with me where I move to, start the biologics and then get sick from a fungal infection. Very stressed and worried. Thanks for letting me vent!!!!!

First, any exchanges about this should be in writing. You should clearly also explain CD, AI disease, Immunosuppressant meds and the impact mould could have on your health in writing. It's their duty to make sure that this is dealt with safely. If it's a significant part of the property and you cannot stay in another bedroom for example, they are duty bound to put you up in a hotel. They will have to call in a professional remediation company who will seal off the affected room(s), put up air scrubbers, take down all drywall, insulation and affected areas, and then replace them. All contaminated materials must be double bagged in a sealed special area so they don't contaminate the rest of your apartment. Air tests must be taken by an independent environmental engineer before and after the remediation - they engineer will be the one to confirm that it's safe for you to be there.
I don't know where you live but I would engage a lawyer if necessary. I know it's expensive but it might be worth the expense. I would ask for compensation of all lawyers fees as well. That should make them act. I'm the former landlord and it was a 130 year old house I was renting out which had tons of mould issues (I was unaware of when I bought the property). As soon as I became aware of these issues, I made sure everything was done ASAP and by the book. It's not an issue to be taken lightly especially if there are medical issues involved.

Thank you both for your replies. In Ohio, where I live, the tenant laws stink. According to the attny I spoke to I have to put my rent into escrow until this is resolved, either in court or by them remedying this situation. I am not allowed to break my lease. This means I will most likely have to find another place to stay while this is in limbo. I will have to hire the attny. I agree, the expense will be worth it in the end. I can stay with my sister and her husband, but would have to come back to my apt for clothes, to feed my cats, etc. I won't be starting any meds until this is resolved. Hopefully, the specialist on 4/17/12 will be able to write me a good letter making it more clear to these people and the courts that this is not a normal situation. The health dept emailed me that the mold is just an allergen, not dangerous, but they don't test to see what kind of mold it is. This is after I explained to them the situation with Crohn's Disease and medications. Thank you so much for the advice. I appreciate it.

Really? I'm surprised your department of health gave you that advice. Mould is certainly more than an allergen and has been linked, at the very least, to health issues such as asthma. Considering your situation, I'd have expected some better advice. I'm in Canada so things could be different here. As a former tenant and a former landlord, I can truly say that tenants are very well protected but often uninformed of their rights and how to get protect them. I'm sorry you're dealing with this crap. When I was going through this mould business with my tenant (who was a lawyer - those were good times let me tell you!) I retained my own lawyer and was told that if he or anyone in his family contacted asthma and could convincingly link it to living in my house I'd be liable for large amounts. Yes, the burden of proof would have been on them but I did not want to take the chance. Further, I didn't want his kids getting sick because of my problem. So, I dealt with it asap but it is a HUGE process and very disruptive to the tenants. Good luck to you, I hope you get this sorted.

Thanks for the embarrassment and you should have just erased the whole thing or handled this privately.

I hope it will all work out for you. Let us know how it goes.

Geeeez..they are trying to cover their behinds, but in doing so causing more exposure for you. I hope you have friends or family that you can ask to sleep on a sofa for a few nights to keep your risk to exposure lower. Keep us updated.

Also, word of warning: everything you post here can be subject to admission in court records. Not telling you not to post...just make sure what you post is truthful and not anything you want to keep as a surprise to them. I hope you understand what I am saying. If not, email me. My email addy is on the left under my name.

Thanks for the update!

Also, I got suspicious when they wouldn't answer my questions regarding who pays for med bills, moving, transfer of utilities, etc. Then, when they gave me 2 days to leave apt so they could fog it. Said once the apt is fogged it dissipates after 24 hrs, but I wasn't allowed back in except to get my bed. Like I can carry my bed down 11 floors. OY! 5 months of ignoring me, then you want me out w/o letting me have results of mold tests or have my own expert up here... I got suspicious and made appt w/ an attny.

Well I hope you at least get back some of the money you're having to spend on this whole mess. I can't believe all they did was spray inhibitor??? My husband works commercial construction and he just did a job where they had to tear everything down to the studs, clean with bleach solution and spray something after that. Also while all this work was going on they had to run air scrubbers to prevent spores from spreading out of the immediate area. I can't believe what some land lords get away with!

Just a thought have you contacted the Health department at all? This could be a much bigger issue than just your unit.

So, I received an email from the landlord. They said the mold test results came back as black paint. They said black paint from the concrete of the wall from original construction. However, they won't give me a copy of the test results. They also want me out of here by 4/30/12 when my lease ends. I wish there was a way I could attach a photo of the moldy drywall. My bedroom, where the leak is, smells like mold. The carpet smells like mold. I saw, on the drywall they removed, fuzzy black specks. Yesterday, on the drywall they left I took pictures of more fuzzy black spots on drywall surface that does not come into contact with the concrete. I am contacting the EPA, Civil Rights commission, and anyone else who might be able to help. Thank goodness I took samples of the drywall before they removed it. There is still mold in the other drywall, ceiling, carpet, and around the window. I feel they're trying to scare me from attending the escrow hearing. Also, if they try to evict me then legal aid will represent me and then I will have even more options.

firecracker1- I am curious, why are you trying to stay? I would have moved out at the first sign of mold rather than fight and try to sue. My health comes first so I would have broken my lease and if the landlord refused to give me back my deposit, I would have sued him at that point but to fight to stay in a mold infested place is baffling me.