The Guardian reported on the case of a woman with hypersensitivity pneumonitis who was exposed to mold.

The woman, who is in her 50s, said she may have as little as 18 months to live. A medical expert she engaged in a legal action against her landlord believes her illness was likely triggered by mold within her home caused by disrepair. She now requires constant oxygen via mask or nasal catheter and is on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

The tenant, who asked not to be named but the Guardian will call Jane, urged the government to fund private renters to claim damages from bad landlords. She gave an interview from her home surrounded by oxygen cylinders, whirring air filters and a bottle of morphine to quell the pain. Jane decided to speak out after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from respiratory failure resulting from mold exposure at his parents’ rented home in Rochdale. She warned the lack of legal aid for victims to claim compensation over personal injury gives bad private landlords the green light to treat potentially deadly mold casually.

A medical expert employed by Jane has concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, she developed hypersensitivity pneumonitis which causes severe lung damage “by her exposure to mold within her home”. That claim is set to be tested in court. Get the full story here.