The areas hit by Hurricane Sandy have mostly been rebuilt, but there is one dangerous problem still lurking there: MOLD. It’s erupting in fuzzy streaks of brown and black in flooded houses. Some of it could even be deadly if inhaled, but so far, there have been no cases of respiratory illness, so this type of mold may not be toxic.
In the March 2nd edition of the New York Times, Sarah Maslin Nir quotes Representative Jerrold L. Nadler as saying, "We did not adequately react in the aftermath of 9/11 to the potential health hazards to the toxins in the air. It was initially denied and ignored, and thousands were sickened. We should learn from that and not repeat the experience."
She quotes deputy mayor Caswell F. Holloway as saying, "The fact that it’s not a major health threat, frankly, from my perspective, is beside the point. It doesn’t mean that mold is a good thing or that there’s no reason to address it."
Mold victims have been instructed to scrub it away with dish soap, but not everyone believes this will be effective. Nir quotes school teacher and new mother Yashika Bratton–who is spending several thousand dollars on professional cleaning fees, as saying, "That’s not a chance I’m willing to take."
We don’t know if the New York mold is toxic, but we DO know that it’s almost always sunny in Nashville, where we’re holding our Symposium in May. To get your tickets, click here. The price includes breakfast Saturday and Sunday and lunch on Saturday.
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.