A 1994 Harvard University School of Public Health study of 10,000 homes in the United States and Canada found half had "conditions of water damage and mold associated with a fifty to one hundred percent increase in respiratory symptoms." (USA Weekend, Dec 3-5, 1999) Reports of toxic mold in homes, apartments, and condominiums have grown tremendously since then. In addition, the emergence of mold claims are pushing homeowners insurance rates upward. Mold claims, which were virtually unheard of a few years ago, cost homeowners insurers more than one billion dollars last year, approximately five times the cost in 2000. (Source: Dr. Robert Hartwig, PhD., Vice President & Chief Econonmist, Insurance Informantion Institute)