Tidy Housekeeper No Match for Mysterious Dust

"I've had all kinds of health problems; a lot of sinus infections, ear infections, upper respiratory infections." she said. "This is the way it's been for three years."

Kraft's husband, a traveling salesman who spent a lot of time on the road, was unaffected at first, but her two dogs, Huskies, had been constantly battling ear, skin and genital infections since moving into the home, generating thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. And what about those weird stains in the carpet under the air vents in the living room and bedroom?

Things really spun out of control in June, 1996. Kraft started getting "little sores with specks in them." The sores become infected "really quick," she said. Convinced the home was infested with chiggers, the Krafts sprayed and bombed massively.

The logical next step was to visit a dermatologist. They visited two, and were diagnosed with scabies. Their treatments for scabies and lice included two full-body lindane treatments which had to be left on their body for three days each, as well as six other treatments. Many health practitioners consider Lindane to be toxic.

After the pesticide use and the skin treatments, Kraft suffered from an inflamed liver and spleen, and lost nearly 30 pounds. In all respects, her health went downhill fast.

"I'm 53 years old, but I look and feel 70," she said.

On Sept. 7, 1996, the blower (air handler) unit in Kraft's 1800-square-foot home failed. Repair crews found the unit to be full of fiberglass insulation; the duct leading into the blower was also full of fiberglass. Throughout the house, there were gaps in the duct system; the "y" tube above the ducts in the living room was barely attached. All of the ducts and the air handler were surrounded by blown-in and roll-out fiberglass insulation.

The house was vacant when purchased by the Krafts; they were told this was due to a divorce. At all times since they moved in, when the home's air conditioning ran (often, in steamy Houston), gaps in the ductwork allowed fiberglass into the heating and air conditioning system. This venturi effect continued during the coldest months, when the heater ran.

Regardless of hot or cold, the largest fibers were trapped in the unit, causing it to work harder and eventually fail. The duct leading to the unit eventually became stuffed full of fiberglass as well. The smallest-and most dangerous-fibers made it through the air handling unit, to be circulated around the house. The tiny fibers found their way into everything and everybody.

"We are being told the contamination was there before we moved in, that the ductwork was very poorly done," said Kraft.

An army of inspectors, adjustors and contractors tromped through the house, estimating the cost to clean and repair. (Because the house was likely contaminated before the purchase, Kraft's attorneys have had trouble affixing blame.)

Completely ill and frazzled, the only spot of relief was when the insurance adjustor finally sent the family to the local Holiday Inn for three and a half weeks while the house was fixed. Her attitude, and her health, improved as soon as she exited the home. Armed with this new information, Kraft went back to her doctors. After hearing the news, her doctors were less mystified than before, but equally at a loss for a treatment

"My own personal physician doesn't know what to do about it," she said. 'I've had cat scans, ultrasounds, upper GI. Now when we look back and see all these patterns, it all makes sense."

Although she lives in a major metropolitan area, Kraft found knowledgeable professional help hard to find, for cleaning her house as well as healing her damaged body. In fact, Kraft is rather disgusted with doctor's lack of knowledge about fiberglass health hazards.

"The regular doctors, they don't know what they're doing," she said. "If anybody could have seen the fiberglass, they would have saved us a fortune and months of grief."

Like everything else in their life, the Kraft's finances are devastated. Her insurer reneged on payment for the hotel, forcing the Krafts into the unenviable position of suing their own insurer. Bills for cleaning carpets, upholstery, bedding and the like have been astronomical. Clothes must be continually replaced.

The house is still not completely clean; Kraft worries tiny fibers may have infiltrated the heating/air conditioning system during the repairs. There is no money to replace carpets and drapes; in fact, the couple retirement nest egg is gone and they may be forced into bankruptcy.

Despite all the house cleaning -- professional and otherwise -- the Krafts are constantly sick, needing $75 or more worth of prescriptions every month. They live in constant fear of being cancelled by their health insurer.