An Albany, N.Y. family says months of water damage and visible mold growth in a Clinton Avenue apartment — including mushrooms growing from the ceiling — sent their children to repeated emergency room and urgent care visits, according to a CBS6 Albany (WRGB) investigation. Medical providers at Albany Medical Center's Pediatric Pulmonology clinic and ENT & Allergy Services documented worsening respiratory symptoms, chronic inflammation, sleep disruption and a need for increased respiratory medication that they linked to the home environment, with one provider recommending the children be removed from the apartment.
Albany code enforcement cited the property multiple times for mold-related violations and required the owner to obtain a licensed mold assessment for the entire building and hire a qualified remediation company. According to records reviewed by CBS6, some corrective actions remain incomplete. The owner told CBS6 he initially sent a handyman to cut visible mushroom growth from the ceiling five days after it was reported in September; a formal mold assessment was not delivered until late January. The case has been referred to Albany Corporation Counsel for further enforcement action.
Tenant advocates told CBS6 the case highlights why Albany's emergency repair fund, which the city charter authorizes when conditions present an immediate danger to occupant health, is underused in practice.