Mould-infested flat forces family to flee every night over health fears

Mould-infested flat forces family to flee every night over health fears By Jennifer Hough Tuesday, March 29, 2011 A WOMAN and her three young children are being forced to leave their mould-infested home by night and sleep elsewhere due to health concerns linked to the condition of the flat. Slattery, 30, who lives in Dolphin House, Rialto, spoke to the Irish Examiner about the constant worry she lives with as her flat is covered in black mould which she feels could be damaging her children’s health. She and her three children, aged eight, five, and 10 months, have taken to sleeping in one bedroom at her mother’s house nearby. Ms Slattery is one of many residents of Dolphin’s House estate who are campaigning for better living conditions. They say that the daily health risk is a blatant violation of their right to adequate housing and called for a commitment from the Department of Environment to fund its regeneration. A study, published yesterday at a human rights monitoring hearing in Rialto, showed that 45% of adults and 42% of children living in the Dublin estate have trouble breathing easily and more than 90% are worried about their health. Residents reported diarrhoea and skin rashes, with some saying depression is also a consequence of living in a cold, damp smelly flat. "I have had the flat for eight and a half years now, and I’d say I was in it six months it when the problem first began. There was very bad dampness with white fluffy mould growing through the wall. The council came and treated it and re-wallpapered." Ms Slattery maintains, however, that in the past two years, it has "come back with a vengeance," but the council have not been back. "There is black mould around the windows even though they are PVC. "The walls in the bedroom are black, the wallpaper is peeling off, even my mattress is black and green and mouldy." Because of this, she says she doesn’t feel safe sleeping at the flat. "We stay in my sister’s room. She is away at college but she is back next month so I don’t know what we will do then. You are breathing it in all time, the kids were sick at the weekend — they were vomiting — I don’t know if it’s related but I am afraid it might be." As well as the mould, there is a rusty, leaking, waste pipe in the bathroom. "Other people’s waste runs down the pipe, it is just a trickle, but you can smell it. The pipe needs to be replaced, I have been waiting two years for that to happen. It is very stressful, my five-year-old asked me is she sick because of the mould. I was reared in these flats, and I just want somewhere safe and healthy to bring up my kids." A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said it is working with the residents to resolve maintenance issues. He said there is a monthly meeting between council representatives and the local maintenance group at which such matters and other issues are discussed. A spokesman for the Department of Environment said it has yet to receive a proposal from Dublin City Council with regards to Dolphin House. This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, March 29, 2011