| Conference churches also battle toxic mold BY YVONNE J. MEDLEY UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT Several churches around the Baltimore-Washington Conference are waging war on toxic mold. Theyre finding solace and assistance from the conference staff, which has recently relocated because of mold exposure that carried a price tag of almost $1 million.  When the Rev. Susan Duchesneau of Ferndale UMC in Glen Burnie first experienced headaches while working in her church office (not located in the main church building), she dismissed them. Her volunteers had headaches, too.
Then a very bad cold escalated into bronchial asthma. My doctors were coming up with all sorts of possibilities and it wasnt until it dawned on me about what was going on at the conference center, Duchesneau said, that she linked her illness to her workspace.  These days Martha Knight, director of finance and administration for the conference, fields inquiries about the conferences strategies and experience with mold.
When the landlord tried to pull the mold out of the wall without separating the room from the rest of the conference center, Knight said, it got into the air conditioning system and went all over the building. You could see the area of people getting sick going wider and wider. The next thing to happen was workmen showing up in hazmat gear, which kind of tells you something, Knight said. There are two decisive camps in the medical community, Knight explained. Some people have gotten to the point of treating the toxic mold and some people are still denying that its as much of a health problem as it is.  The first battle to win is the battle of disbelief, she said.
There are symptoms to watch for, such as sinus problems, marked memory loss, frequent headaches, unexplained fatigue, tingling in the hands and feet, new or increased sensitivities to fragrances, breathing difficulties and unexplained internal organ problems. In its severe stages, toxic mold can actually mimic multiple sclerosis. So you have to be very careful and try to be checked out by your primary care physician or someone who has a history of dealing with people who have an environmental illness, said Knight. Whether a person begins to feel sick in their churchs office or while living in the parsonage, the first ailment they come down with is the, Cleopatra, Queen of Denial, syndrome, joked the Rev. Betty Preston Dunlop of St. Andrews UMC in Hagerstown. Dunlop moved into her churchs parsonage in June 2001. After about six months I thought, something is wrong, but the symptoms were vague and I thought, well, who would believe me, she said. Finally, after one year, I just couldnt get off the bed. The problem wasnt mold but sewer gases invading the home through the pipes. The church acted to rectify the problem, but the ordeal took months to solve, sending Dunlop to a battery of doctors who suggested everything from allergies to diabetes. The Rev. Susan Hallager, associate pastor for Severna Park UMC, said, Wed only been in [the parsonage] for several months and we were doing a superficial facelift on the bathroom. My son discovered some [mold] in the wallboard, which led us to investigate further. Our church facilities manager became a part of the process and the more we looked, the more we found. At that point, we actually called Martha Knight at the conference center because we knew that the conference had experienced the problem. Toxic mold also attacks the pocketbook, which presents a major problem for smaller churches like Ferndale UMC and its 200 members, said Duchesneau. Affording repairs and renovations is difficult. Ferndales trustees and congregation embarked on a building campaign and learned all they could about maintenance and prevention. When Severna Park UMC discovered mold, finances werent a problem, Hallager said. Were just fortunated because were a larger church (with approximately 2,200 members) that has more resources. We were able to take care of it immediately, but I can understand the concern for smaller churches with smaller budgets. Were now in the process of remediating the parsonage. Most churches are finding that they have insurance coverage that covers the mold, said the Rev. Ed Delong, associate council director at the conference. We do have [low-interest] loan money, however, and weve offered that to the churches since weve been aware of their need. Prevention is key, said Knight, no matter the size of the churchs budget. Lack of maintenance can be detrimental. | 
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