mold-symptom.com

ATLANTA -- For William Mouzon, his home problems began to add up when the rain fell down.
Contaminated floodwater poured into his Vine City home during recent storms with such force that the rising water knocked down a wall inside his home.

The water has long since been removed but he fears that if he remains in the home there will be dire consequences.

"I know if I stay here I will have health problems," he said.

Betty Johnson said she already feels sick. Her home still displays Fulton County's warning that the place is a hazard, largely because mold remains on the ceiling and in the basement.

She worries that her health will deteriorate. Asked if she's afraid she answers, "Yes, that I will get sicker. I really don't want to stay here.

"The taxpayer's money that was invested in my home was a waste," Johnson said.

Fulton County health officials have ruled that the homes of Mouzon and Johnson are uninhabitable as a result of mold contamination and unacceptable indoor air quality.

The effort to repair the damage has not come cheap. In a no-bid, emergency procurement, Fulton officials hired an Atlanta firm to restore the homes of property owners whose residences suffered damage from flood water. But the firm's rehab work has come under fire from the homes' owners and others.

Quality Environmental Management, an Atlanta firm run by Eric Hodge, was hired by the county to fix the damage. In five flooded homes, the firm promised to replace sheetrock if it was moldy and use an anti-bacterial solution on all hard surfaces where it was needed.

The company pledged to install basement walls in two homes and have an independent lab retest the air in all five residences. His fee for the work: Just under $35,000.

But the firm's workmanship is in question.



"They might as well have taken that $35,000 and burned it," said Almedia Cruz, an air quality expert. She has done work for Fulton in the past but the county severed her contract recently.

Cruz said she is speaking out about the repair work out of a concern for the homeowners.

Mold is flourishing on Johnson's new walls and the sheetrock that was nailed to wall studs show no evidence of being cleaned first. Also, leaky pipes left unfixed help feed the moisture problem. There is moldy furniture and grimy insulation sits in a heap.

Said Cruz: "This should never have been left behind. This is contaminated."


At Mouzon's home, Hodge's firm rebuilt the basement wall, which is damp at the bottom and caked with mold.

"I feel like my health is diminishing slowly," Mouzon said. "I know it's not good. I know it's not good."

At Beverly Thompson's home, which was damaged by flood waters, Quality Environmental Management installed a wall to seal off a crawl space. But the firm did not remove the wet insulation or the mold growing on it. The mold underneath was also left untouched.

Said Thompson: "I feel real, real bad. I feel like I've been misused and abused."

When asked about the work he did for Fulton County, the man believed to be Hodge said he did not do any work for the county. Even though several sources had confirmed his identity to

Channel 2 Action News, he denied who he was and declined to answer questions.