The elderly and handicapped have been given 30 days to evacuate the Bromelia Place apartment building in Immokalee, Florida. The owners of the not-for-profit home for seniors and the disabled, United Church Homes, have decided that the building is not safe and is obviously not taking any chances with the health of their residents.
Mold has taken over the building and its residents are beginning to experience symptoms. Now dozens of seniors are scrambling for a new place to live when they could barely afford the modest prices of not-for-profit apartment building. “I live on $600 a month,” said Greg Sharp, 54, “what am I supposed to do?” Some who were paying as little as $100 for rent at Bromelia Place must now find a way to pay for $400 a month apartments.
Mold is creeping down windowsills, growing on couches, and covering trash cans. The cause? Once again, it’s faulty construction. Bromelia Place uses windows intended for a concrete block building, but the apartment has a wood frame. This allows water to get in through the window and feed mold growth. The owners are looking to file a lawsuit against the building’s contractor, Siltek.
This is also an interesting case because it seems this time that mold is teaming up with Chinese drywall and tag-teaming these seniors. Chinese drywall is a toxic material used in recent construction that is giving mold a run for its money in the race for most litigated household hazard. Recent tests at Bromelia Place have come back positive for toxic mold and Chinese drywall.
The owners of Bromelia Place are not taking any chances and forcing their residents out, possibly in part to avoid potential lawsuits. Seniors are especially susceptible to the harmful health effects of mold because of their declining immune systems which can’t easily defend against mold. Additionally, seniors and the handicapped may have weakened immune systems because of medical conditions. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and those who have organ transplants, for example, have suppressed immune systems.
Thankfully, United Church Homes is working to find everyone another place to live that will fit their specific needs.
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