Mold

No sooner had the city's new municipal office building opened six years ago than the elevators began to break down, walls leaked, pipes froze, ceilings fell and mold grew inside the walls.Today, dozens of workers say they are sickened by mysterious fumes, the heating system fluctuates wildly, and pigeon droppings litter an air shaft.For this building -- at 417 E. Fayette Street near City Hall -- taxpayers paid $29 million at the close of then-mayor William Donald Schaefer's administration.

When the basketball season started, Edgewood coach Bob Slagle wasn't sure what he had in the way of talent. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until shortly before practice started that he knew what players would be available.There was the usual mix of a veteran or two, some players up from the junior varsity and some players new to the program. To be specific, there were two new players with solid backgrounds, but one had started school late after returning here to live, and there had been a jurisdiction question about the other as to whether he fell into the Aberdeen or Edgewood district.

Megan Evans has loved clay for a long time. She admits it runs her life. There's always a piece to "throw," a bowl to carve or a vase to fire in the kiln. The clay never stops, never waits and always does what it wants. And, no matter how many orders she might be working on for one gallery or another, she often opens the kiln in her basement studio at home to a complete surprise. Much like Forrest Gump's adage about life and a box of chocolates, with clay, you never know what you're gonna get. Despite the hard work, Evans is in heaven lately.

MOST PARENTS would say the only mold in a school should be the green-black furry stuff growing in petri dishes. But the combination of aging school buildings and exceptionally wet weather has created a bumper crop of fungi in a number of Harford and Baltimore county schools. Concerns about this mold should not be dismissed as hysterical overreaction. In large quantities, common molds like clasporidium and penicillium can trigger allergic reactions, sinus infections, headaches, coughing and irritation of the eyes and throat.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Florida's insurance market is feeling the effects of the black mold that infested a Texas mansion and spawned a $32 million judgment against an insurance company there. Toxic mold - which can grow in damp homes and sicken occupants - poses a rare hazard to homeowners and a growing threat to insurers. The scariest stories come from Texas and California, with tales of toxic mold making infants vomit blood and healthy adults suddenly unable to remember simple things.

A distinct and disagreeable life form is quietly colonizing Maryland's rain-soaked homes and businesses. It's mold. The ubiquitous fungus -- distinctly different from plants and animals -- sends out tiny, unseen spores that permeate the air and give mold its unique ability to survive and spread. The mold that appears as a harmless speck on a leaky faucet or under a basement water heater will soon eat away at walls, floors, foundations and other surfaces if left unchecked. "Mold is a very resilient organism," said Lance Fisher, general manager of the Salisbury office of Marcor Remediation Inc., a Hunt Valley-based firm that removes mold and other environmental messes from businesses and homes across the nation.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage plans to temporarily move out of its office in Mount Washington after a heavy weekend rain left water and possibly mold damage inside its leased building, company workers and their landlord said yesterday. Himmelrich Associates Inc., which owns the property at 1340-A Smith Ave., said the 50 people who work in the first-floor office should be able to return soon. "We learned [yesterday] they believe they have mold," said Samuel K. Himmelrich Jr., the landlord.

Tenants at a Savage apartment complex say the landlord and Howard County authorities have failed to adequately address substandard living conditions in some of the units at River Island Apartments, including the documented presence of a toxic mold. Although county health and inspection officials say the problem has been resolved, a Howard state senator and the mother of a former tenant - who has become an unofficial advocate for residents - maintain that conditions at the complex are deplorable.

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GAITHERSBURG - Jack Pykosh, 8, has endured multiple antibiotics, CAT scans and the removal of his adenoids in an attempt to alleviate his chronic sinusitis and allergies to pollen and mold. Jack's father, Paul Pykosh, has resorted to ultraviolet lights lights to kill bacteria, cleaning vents, dehumidifiers and expensive filters in his house. This summer, it all seemed to be working. But when Jack returned to DuFief Elementary School in Gaithersburg this fall, his congestion worsened. Pykosh thinks it has something to do with the mold problem at his son's school.