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Fort Worth Toxic Mold Litigation and Personal Injury

Fort Worth Toxic Mold Litigation

Toxic mold gained public notoriety in 2001 when a jury awarded $32 million to a Texas homeowner. In 2003 celebrity Ed McMahon got national attention when he settled a toxic mold claim for 7 million dollars. Verdicts and settlements of such magnitude sent the insurance industry reeling. Some attorneys and media pundits claimed Toxic Mold was “the asbestos” of the new millennium.

As the courts grapple with the issues of liability, medical researchers are just beginning to understand the effects of mold exposure on humans. What is known is that there are 20,000 plus known species of mold, some that produce a variety of toxic gases called mycotoxins. Stachybotrys, a species of mold that gained national media attention as the subject of toxic mold litigation, produces more than 150 different mycotoxins.

37 Million Americans affected By Toxic Mold

Mycotoxins are spread along with the mold’s spores and can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation and even skin contact. A study by the Mayo Clinic in 1999 attributed 93% of chronic sinus infections, affecting 37 million Americans at the time, to mold exposure.

Toxic molds have been causing serious health conditions in humans for hundreds and hundreds of years. Toxic mold can exist in damp environments in your home or workplace without you ever knowing it.

Most people don’t realize that mold is found practically everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Mold grows in building materials such as sheetrock, drywall, ceiling tiles, wood, carpet, wallpaper and upholstery. Some molds, especially in high concentrations, may be hazardous to human health.

The dangers of toxic mold that can cause serious health ailments are hard to detect. Only a microbiologist can determine the difference between what is just mold or toxic mold. Common symptoms of toxic mold exposure include memory loss, allergies, and breathing difficulties. People with existing respiratory illness, asthma, and infants should be especially careful because of the fever and mold infections that can be suffered within their lungs due to toxic mold exposure.

Human health risks of exposure to toxic mold include:

• Allergic reactions
• Asthma (exacerbation of) or Breathing Problems
• Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis / HP, which can cause permanent lung damage
• Pulmonary Hemosiderosis (potentially fatal lung hemorrhaging in infants
• Memory, concentration and learning problems

Texas law governing toxic mold is complex. If you or a loved one suffer from ailments you believe or suspect is caused by exposure to toxic mold search the Attorney Directory at TheAttorneyStore.Com. They are there to help.

Disclaimer: The state of scientific research as to the health hazards of mold is still early and inconclusive.

Ed McMahon Settles Toxic Mold Lawsuit for $7M

Source: Reuters
Published: May 07, 2003

Former “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon received a $7 million settlement from several companies he sued for allowing toxic mold to infest his Los Angeles home. McMahon claimed these companies where responsible for making his family sick and killing his dog.

McMahon ended the lawsuit with all but one of the companies in confidential settlements. But earlier this week a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the settlement amounts made public.

Travelers and American Equity Insurance companies and other related insurance entities settled with McMahon for more than $5 million, according to the hearing transcript. Four mold cleanup firms and two insurance adjusters paid the rest of the sum.

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