Son’s plight serves to warn people about mould here By ALEX HAMILTON _ IT DIDN'T take Rita Rins- ma long to suspect what was making her five-year- old son very ill. The thick, black, shiny mould growing on her household walls, carpet, and ceiling was like a beacon. “Sometimes it was really hairy,” Rinsma said. “It was everywhere, espe- cially around my son’ s bed.” When her son Nathan started getting flu-like symptoms and became seriously ill, she took him to see a doctor. After taking a blood test, her doctor determined Nathan’s white blood cells weren't replenishing them- selves rapidly enough, but he couldn’t explain why they boy’ s immune system wasn’t up to snuff. When Rinsma suspec- ted Nathan’s health was being affected by the mould, her doctor couldn’t confirm her suspicions. Regardless, she moved out of the apartment this month because no matter how hard she scoured her Surgery reviewed NORTHWESTERN HEALTH officials are waiting for a report which will guide the delivery of orthopedic surgery in the region. It’s being written by a lower mainland orthopedic surgeon who recently vi- sited Kitimat and Terrace. Dr. David Harder is looking at what’s available now and what should be in place, says health ministry " official Jeff Gaulin, walls with bleach and water, the airborne spores would return. ° Rinsma suspects a leak in the roof was causing moisture build-up in the walls, causing them to rot. “You could almost push your thumb right through the wall when you were scrubbing it,” she added. Almost after moving out of the home, Rinsma noticed her son stopped wheezing, and his energy level improved, “He got colour back in his face,” she said. And for the first time in months, Rinsma also stop- ped getting headaches. “I strongly believe it was the mould that made him sick,” Rinsma said. “Tt has to be.” Moving out of her rental suit was a smart move, says environmental health officer Doug Quibell. Quibell said mould is a serious problem in Ter- race, responsible for var- ious health problems. “All of us need-to pay a lot more attention to mould,” he said. ‘“We’re just discovering the health immediately. implications.” Some moulds produce toxins that can cause skin rashes, nosebleeds and upper respiratory problems. Quibell said one parti- cularly toxic mould called stachybotrys, a slow grow- ‘ing fungus, is known to cause cold and flu symp- toms, including head- aches, sore throats, fatigue and diarrhea. A high. school class- toom in Saskatoon was closed this month due to Stachybotrys after a tea- cher became very ill. Quibell said the key to fighting mould is attacking it- with bleach and water. Bul cleaning walls and ceilings is only half the solution. “You have to think of why the mould is there,” he said. That means fixing leaky toofs and seepy window panes, increasing air cir- culation, and decreasing air moisture. - Quibell said Terrace environmental health offi- cers respond every month to complaints from renters ‘ about mould problems. Terrace, it has happened Doug Quibeli Although officers have never condemned a house for being too mouldy in in elsewhere in B.C. ~ fa- milies have had to move out because they were ill. In Terrace, Quibell said environmental health offi- cers frequently require landlords to fix leaky roofs, replace rotten walls or improve poor ventilation to get ride of mould pro- blems. “Most landlords readily comply,” he added. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February @ 2, 2000 - A? ¥ val Pick Up The Shopping for your valentine? ° Stuck for ideas? Come and see our selection Y Floral Bouquets ¥ Balloon Bouquets ¥ Long-stemmed Roses ¥ Valentine's Candies ¥ Valentine’s Day Cakes Y Girt Bags ''Y Gift Certificates Meal With Your Sweetheart ce eae Soe cies) 59 ae eee SATIN 94s -@- * @ -§%: bie 5 entine’s Cards a L se SS -@- o,¢D: 5 Fixings For a Romantic QP oie SAFEWAY % FOOD & DRUG o:<€ TERRACE BC ‘a: VISIT CUR WEB SITE y WWW.SAFEWAY.COM & oi¢ 3: > x £5 %a@ CHRYSLER ~eeGjee——— Chrysler. Celebrating 75 years of engineering great cars. Engineciod to be great cars. aA key portion ‘of Haid: et’s report takes in a con- troversial situation in Kiti- mat regarding how many operating rooms its new hospital will have. Kitimat General Hospi- tal, one of two traditional homes for orthopedic surg- ery in the northwest, has two operating rooms. _ Plans for the new hospi- tal call for just one opera- ting room and a trauma. treatment room connected’ to its emergency room. Kitimat health officials Say two operating rooms are needed as one by itself is required because of the specialized nature of or- thopedic surgery. They fear the loss of or- thopedics to Mills Memor- ial and its core group of specialists. Health ministry officials are already interested in a plan whereby high-end. or- thopedic surgery is done at Mills and more routine — operations. done in Kitimat. That hinges on the one operating room/one trauma Toom model for the new Kitimat hospital, , Yet health minister Penny Priddy says . Kiti- mat can have two opera- ting rooms provided there is no increase in costs, It’s this factor which Harder is investigating. “That’s part and parcel of his research,” said Gaulin,. “He’s looking at how orthopedic services should: be delivered in northwest,” Two Kitimat physicians i who met with Harder said he has already indicated a - - ~ second operating room’ isn’t needed. One, Dr. Jim MacKen-: zie, said it was “strange”. Harder will make recom- mendations on what is:a~. regional service when a. $200,000 regional health: Study has barely started, . Gaulin was a bit dis. mS mayed:at the comments. “One must respect the objective views of Dr... 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