After years of experiencing intermittent sickness, Central Coast resident Camilla Thompson discovered her symptoms turned out to be related to a mould infestation in her rental house.
This year, she decided to start a foundation and business assisting others in testing, identifying and managing mould, though the challenge was more difficult than she originally thought it would be.
Thompson lived with mysterious illnesses for many years.
Every few months she would get sick, then recover for a few weeks and the cycle would begin again.
She saw multiple doctors, kinesiologists and naturopaths, but none of them could find out what was wrong with her.
Fortunately, a dear friend came to Thompson’s rescue when she started getting so sick she was struggling to get out of bed.
“She found mould in my cupboards, side tables, blinds and mattress, and this was just in my bedroom,” Thompson said.
After successfully identifying the cause of her illnesses she was able to take immediate and long-lasting action.
“I’m keen to call on the State Government to look at making renting properties safer for people by certifying homes through mould testing,” she said.
“There is such a lack of support for people living in mould by the government.”
Thompson said her research had shown Victoria is better than NSW at acknowledging mould being an issue in public housing and rental laws, though more community awareness is most important at this stage.
She decided to drop her years of corporate work and focus on helping sufferers and the broader community fight mould on a full-time basis.
After months of research and business planning she started a business and a foundation on the Central Coast, with the backing of her husband Keith.
The new company, appropriately called Mould Safe, hit the ground running with a score of assignments both on the Central Coast and in Greater Sydney.
“There’s no shortage of mould problems on the Central Coast,” Thompson said.
“I quickly realised I needed help to manage enquiries and help people with solutions.
“I engaged my friend Gaelle Pincemin to help with identification and create plans for people suffering from mould in their homes.”
In the current housing crisis, many people are vulnerable to renting houses that are in poor condition and not fully habitable.
One Mould Safe client from Umina told Coast Community News they were still in shock that their home had been able to be rented out.
“The fact is the landlord has put profit over safety and (he and) the real estate (agent), who should have a duty of care, have (both) failed in their responsibility to inform us of the real true nature of the property,” they said.
Another client from Kincumber spoke of how hard and distressing it had been to have the mould in her rental home recognised and then remediated.
Thompson said her clients in Umina and Kincumber are typical of a large group of renters who suffer in silence because agents, owners and many authorities don’t recognise the problem.
Her own experience with mould had a completely devastating impact on her home, family and business, and also caused long-term damage to her health.
The drive to help others sparked the idea of creating a foundation as part of the business which would help people share experiences and vital health and technical information and help find solutions themselves.
Thompson said the mould problem is sometimes overwhelming, but now that she has her business and foundation up and running she feels some agency in helping others break down the silence around mould and its health effects.
Mould Safe has created a public resource for those interested on its website: mouldsafe.com.au