Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In April of 95 after being told several times by the
company that the chemicals they would use in our house would not harm us and
we'd be safe, a Griffin Pest Control Applicater came into our house and mis-applied
pesticides. She put Ficam D (a dust) into our heating plenum crawl space, and
according to the Department of Agriculture who came in and tested our house,
she used excessive amount of two other pesticdes also, Tempo 20 and CB-38 in
our living areas. The dust blew through our furnace system, and was found in
the living areas from doing so. So we had a combination of three chemicals
mixed together now in our house. We unbeknowingly were breathing it in when
the furnace was on. The other pesticides were found on my 9 month old twins
playpen and on baby toys that they handled and chewed on for two weeks or more
since the mis-application. The chemicals were found on items we would handle
and on cold air returns through out the house.
Our
immediate symptoms were vomiting, upper respritory illness and sinus drainage
and burning throats and diarrhea and pain. Two weeks into this and thinking
the 4 of us had the flu and the doctors not sure why we were sick, we realized
that we had been cleaning up Cat vomit this whole time too. Thats when we
called the Dept. of AG.
Griffin Pest Controls owner admitted that there was a mis-
application, but insisted that we had the flu and we were not sick from the
pesticides. Even though one of his people told us we were a few nights
earlier.
We got a bid for a clean up and Griffin opted to do the
clean up them selves. A good month later, They came in and washed walls,
furniture, carpets, cleaned items in the attic where the dust was also mis-
applied, and cleaned the crawl space plenum with a garden hose and baking
soda. When the clean up was done they told us our house was fine now. I
questioned the pools of water in the crawl space and the guy who put it there
said it needed to sit to neutralize the chemicals. He said it would dry on its
own.
We figured
we were having long term health affects, because year after year we got worse
health wise. We paid for a toxicologist to come in and test the house. He
found the same pesticide still in the house along now with the very hazzardous
molds Stachybotrys and Aspergilous. We moved into a travel camping trailer the
next day, this was April 1999. We lived in it for 15 months while we fought
Griffins insurance company. The water left in the crawl space in June of 95
according several experts caused the mold. Of course Griffin says it did not
all at the same time expressing his concerns for our health and welfare. Our
attorney asked him in court if he ever told another unsuspecting couple that
the powder that was on their babys crib was talcolm powder. He said yes. It in
fact was ficam D the same dust in our house. They found this out through the
Dept. Of Ag. reports. After three weeks in court, we won a jury trial but
Griffin appealed it putting the case back into the courts. We live in a non
punitive damage state. We settled for far less just to end it so we could move
out of the camper. Our house now condemed by the Health Dept. would cost up to
$100,000 to make it liveable with no guarrentees. We ended up with no where
near that. Our health costs went through the roof and with the cost to fight
these people, we had to bankrupt so we could afford to rent a townhouse and
find some normalcy for my twins.
My husband
had chronic sinus infections and frequent upper respritory infections. Short
term memory problems that cognitive testing proves is caused by out side
influences. His pancreas had problems and now he developed Diabetes Type 1 and
needs insulin to live.
My daughter
now six has been hospitalized several times for upper respritory problems and
needed breathing treatments. Shes been to ER for the same thing several other
times. Four months after my husbands diagnosis of diabetes, she was
hospitalized with high blood sugar and ketones and sugar in her urine, with
unexplained fever. She gets this now with fevers, but is not yet classified
diabetic. She also suffered many nose bleeds.
My son now
six had diarrhea for two year plus. Upper respitory infections. Headaches with
vomiting, and has vocal and motor tics, which he currently sees a neurologist
for.
Myself,
suffers from sinus tachycardia when on my feet or moving and take medication
for it, joint/muscle pain, I developed photosensitivity, nose bleeds, fatigue
headache and get rashes, plus my ANA blood test go as high as 1280
titers, and Chronic sinus infections.
We have not
filed a suit for my children as of yet, Griffins Insurance Company made an
offer then withdrew it. We have til they are 19.
Heidi from Grand Rapids Michigan.