‘Health turned upside down’: Mould infesting more Geelong homes

Geelong residents who have had mould infiltrate their homes and turn their lives upside-down have revealed the telltale signs you need to look out for.

Norlane grandmother Jeannette Scholte first noticed blooms of black mould in the ceiling of the bathroom.

Within 12 months the mould had infiltrated every room and now Ms Scholte fears it is the reason her young grandchildren are constantly coughing.

“It started in the bathroom, so we redid the ceiling and used paint that was mould resistant in that room,” Ms Scholte said.

“We cleaned all the walls just last year and mould was taken away.

“But now, it’s just grown. It’s in nearly every room.”

Ms Scholte’s mouldy house is not uncommon and the problem is not confined to old, poorly ventilated properties.

Expert mould removalist Tom Boland said he had experienced an unprecedented demand for mould extraction this year, with the issue widespread across the state.

Jeannette Scholte with her granddaughter Lina.

Mr Boland said he believed more people suffered ill health from mould during the height of the Covid pandemic because they were constantly at home.

He said this trend had continued, as more people worked from home regularly, and he said there had been a rise in mould break outs in new builds.

“More people are picking up the fact that they have a runny nose or a cough is because of mould,” he said.

Fiona Loupos knows all too well the serious implications of long term mould exposure.

The mother of two said she was exposed to black mould for years while living in a Geelong rental property.

“It turned my family’s health and wellbeing literally upside down,” Ms Loupos said.

“I ended up being treated by the Alfred hospital and see an immunology specialist for injections every fortnight.”

She said injections help reduce the symptoms of allergies to mould.

“It’s still an ongoing issue. I’ve been told that as long as I’ve been exposed is the time for recovery. That’s five-and-a-half years,” Ms Loupos said.

Documents seen by the Geelong Advertiser reveal specialists have attributed Ms Loupos’ multiple health conditions to mould exposure. Her two children also suffer ill health.

A letter from a consultant at the Alfred states that the mould could be “significantly harmful to Fiona’s health”.

A mould assessment of the property, by Mould Scope, found mould within the floor and sub-floor of the property.

Ashford family claiming to have insurance issues with AAMI

When Leza and Travis Ashford discovered mould in their “dream home” at Jan Juc in 2016, they never expected it to lead to a six year battle with their insurer.

The couple, whose two children were young at the time, claim the provider made “appalling mistakes”, which left the property in a dangerous and unliveable state due to mould and

chemical contamination and left Ms Ashford with health issues.

This year, the Ashford family tried to fight AAMI in the supreme court but eventually withdrew from the process.

Mrs Ashford still alleges AAMI used chemical treatments to remove the mould despite knowing that she had allergies resulting in anaphylaxis.

Western Victoria Primary Health Network’s clinical spokeswoman, Dr Anne Stephenson, said the Geelong region experienced a slightly wetter and warmer August than average, creating conditions conducive to mould.

“The most common health impacts of mould are related to the respiratory system, but it can also have a range of other effects. Some people are more vulnerable to the effects of mould, such as those with weakened immune systems, allergies or asthma,” she said.

“Mould can inflame the airways and cause coughing, nasal congestion, wheezing, chest tightness and throat irritation.

“Lung function can also be reduced through prolonged exposure to high levels of dampness indoors.

“Chronic health problems such as asthma can also develop.”

Dr Stephenson said unless the mould is obvious, people can be unaware that they have an issue with mould at home.

“It can be difficult for a doctor to determine if mould is causing health problems, but if respiratory issues persist it is worth considering.”

Ms Scholte is in the midst of having her home “de-moulded” by Mr Boland, which the grandmother is hopeful will keep the mould out for good.

“I think it’s a health hazard for the family, that’s my main concern,” she said.

“It just looks dreadful, but the biggest thing is about their health.”

Geelong mould removal expert Tom Boland says he has been called to a significant number of mould riddled properties this year.

Mr Boland, who runs Air Health Australia, uses a natural treatment to remove mould in properties.

He said people often didn’t realise mould was growing in their homes, and looked past early indicators.

“People should look out for any smells, any growths like black growth and be aware if you’ve had a water leak or water intrusion,” he said.

“You can have (health) problems with mould growth - a stuffy nose, eye irritation, shortness of breath, hay fever.

“That’s when we want to get in there and do the proper lab testing.”

Deakin University Professor Leigh Ackland is studying the impact of mould exposure on health, and said people were regularly exposed to mould fungus through their environment and food consumption.

“What I’ve looked into is the prevalence of mould in food stuff. About 25 per cent of crops are contaminated with mould,” Prof Ackland said.

“The can produce things called micro toxins - they are poisonous and can effect the immune system and the nervous system and maybe even (cause) cancer.”

Prof Ackland said the true of scale of how mould was impacting the health of Australians was hard to measure because it was not something people were regularly being tested for.

She said more research into the impact of mould exposure on health should “absolutely” occur.

“According to my clinical contacts they do see a lot of people with health effects that can’t really be fully explained,” she said.

“The fact is, that if you are in contact with fungus there is a possibility that toxins can have very non-specific health effects.”

Originally published as ‘Health turned upside down’: Mould infesting more Geelong homes