A two-year-old has died due to prolonged exposure to mold in the flat he was living in in the north of England, according to inquest findings released on Tuesday, which raised questions regarding the condition of some social housing.
Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 “following a serious respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mold in his place of residence”, concluded the “coroner” Joanne Kearsley, responsible for this so-called “inquest” procedure. “, intended to determine the causes of the death of the young boy.
“No measures have been taken to treat and prevent the mould. His respiratory condition led to a respiratory arrest” then to a cardiac arrest, explained the “coroner” who will challenge the Ministers of Housing and Health.
“How in the UK in 2020 might a two-year-old child die from being exposed to mold in his home?” she asked.
The father of the child, Faisal Abdullah, had however complained regarding the state of the housing on several occasions, from 2017, to the association which rented the apartment to them, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). She had been advised to repaint over the mold, according to Joanne Kearley.
“We cannot say in front of how many medical professionals we cried and how many RBH employees we begged, expressing our concern over the conditions in which we and Awaab were living,” the family wrote in a statement. ‘child. “We shouted as loud as we might.”
A health visitor had also contacted RBH to raise the issue in July 2020, when Awaab was suffering from colds and chronic respiratory problems.
Joanne Kearsley concluded that the mold was caused by “normal activities of daily living” and a lack of effective ventilation. “No action was taken, and from July 2020 to December 2020 Awaab continued to have chronic exposure to harmful mold,” she criticized.
Awaab’s tragic death “will and should be a watershed moment for the housing industry in terms of increasing knowledge, raising awareness and deepening understanding of the damp and mold issue,” said Joanne Kearsley.
“We have to make sure this can never happen once more,” RBH manager Gareth Swarbrick said.