HUD Archives: News Releases

CUOMO AWARDS $850,000 TO PROTECT HEALTH OF CHICAGO AREA FAMILIES

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today awarded an $850,000 grant to help protect low-income families in the Chicago area from bleeding lung disease, lead poisoning and other illnesses caused by mold and moisture in their homes.

The grant to the Illinois Department of Public Health will remove mold and excess moisture from 100 houses and apartments in Chicago and surrounding Cook County, and will provide several hundred homes with environmental screening and information on mold and moisture prevention.

An accumulation of mold and excess moisture in homes has been linked to cases of allergies, asthma, bleeding lung disease and poisoning by toxic byproducts. Mold and moisture also often cause paint peeling, creating lead hazards in homes that can cause lead poisoning in children.

"Hidden dangers can turn homes into health hazards," Cuomo said. "Eliminating these hazards and creating healthy homes will prevent illnesses and save lives."

The mold Stachybotrys is suspected of causing the deaths of two Chicago area infants and 13 non-fatal cases of bleeding lung disease in the area since 1992. The mold has also been implicated in the deaths of 15 infants in Cuyahoga County in Ohio since 1994.

The Illinois Department of Public Health will collaborate in the program with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the University of Illinois Building Research Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County.

The competitive grant program will also provide economic opportunity for local business and jobs for low-income people.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009