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Book Review:
Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide

Do buildings get sick? Apparently so, and what’s worse is that these sick buildings can make us sick as well. Mold, the progenitor of sick building syndrome, is increasingly becoming the popular blame for sneezing and allergy flare-ups and often results in workers’ compensation claims.

Mold is everywhere. There are thousands upon thousands of species of mold adding to its omnipresence, making it that much more difficult to identify and remedy its damaging effects. While numerous published press reports and testimonies attest to molds’ deleterious properties, it still remains for a documented scientific finding to rule that mold is as dangerous as claimed. Nevertheless, the number of lawsuits based on toxic mold is increasing, the cost of which is also increasing to compensate for personal injury and related damages.

According to attorney Barry Zalma, understanding every facet of the fungus—every fact in explicit detail—is necessary when dealing with mold claims. Zalma sets out to do just that in Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide.

Recognized for his knowledge of mold claims handling, Zalma has testified as an expert witness in mold litigation cases. He contends that great numbers of U.S. businesses lose incredible amounts of money to mold claims. A recent and famous beneficiary was television’s Ed McMahon, who collected a total sum of $5 million dollars through settlement of injury by mold.

Zalma’s compendium of mold contains something for everyone—layperson or risk manager—who is concerned about the effects of mold, legal or otherwise. Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide walks readers step by step through dealing with mold, from the identification process through the litigation process.

The book is easy to read, even entertaining at times. Its format contains helpful, thorough checklists and series of questions with accompanying explanations and supporting law. Risk managers and other professionals will appreciate the book’s ample technical information, but readers are not required to understand the supportive legal text and insurance codes to benefit from the book.

Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide provides a unique start-to-finish approach to dealing with the risks of mold. With mold claims continually on the rise, it’s a wise addition to a risk manager’s library.

Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide
Barry Zalma Esq., C.F.E.
Published by Specialty Technical Publishers

riskVue | The webzine for risk management professionals
September 2005