A former Olympic athlete has been left coughing up blood and covered in skin lesions - claiming his landlord left him with “deadly” black mould for years in his damp-stricken flat.
Marcus Adam - one of just 128 athletes in history to have competed in both the Winter and Summer Olympics - says his health has slowly “deteriorated” since his rental flat became overrun with damp and black mould.
The former sprinter and bobsledder says he feels like his body is “packing up” after a succession of organ and respiratory issues, which he's convinced are caused by damp in the flat since 2017.
Horrifying photos show how his flat in Islington, London, flat had mould covering the floor, walls and even growing over his clothing and shoes.
Yet Marcus claims despite raising the issue to his landlord “seven or eight times” over the years it has still not been resolved and they failed to get rid of the mould even when they fitted a new kitchen in 2019.
Black mould is a type of mould, often referring to Stachybotrys chartarum, that appears dark green or black and thrives in damp, water-damaged areas like basements and bathrooms.
Mould and damp can cause damage to the airways, as well as the eyes and skin. In some cases they can cause long-term respiratory failure and even death.
Marcus compared his case to that of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from Rochdale, who died in December 2020 from a severe respiratory condition linked to severe mould in his family home.
A new law, known as Awaab's Law, came into effect on October 27, requiring landlords in England to inspect damp and mould within 10 working days and make it safe within five days of inspection.
The 57-year-old's treatment has left him feeling like a “second-class citizen” and he has been forced to quit his work as a doorman and claim out-of-work benefits since September.
Works to finally fix the property reportedly began in May but are still ongoing - leaving Marcus resorting to sofa-surfing at friends' houses or living in hotels.
Marcus started running track and field at the age of seven and went on to win two gold medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the 200m sprint and the 400m relay.
He also competed in the 1992 Olympic Games, beating four-time champion Michael Johnson in the quarter final for the 200m sprint - but missing out on a medal in the final when he finished eighth.
In 2002, Marcus returned to athletics to compete for Great Britain as half of a two-man bobsleigh team in the Winter Olympics.
But the former sprinter has been left coughing up blood and claims he's now having tests to establish if he needs kidney dialysis.
Marcus said: "The damp first started in the bedroom, and when I complained about it they sent a surveyor round.
"He basically said there wasn't enough ventilation. He said that to a lot of the tenants who also had the same problem.
"But that was it. They send someone round, they take notes and everything, but nothing happens.
"There was no-one coming around with metres to test the amount of dampness in the walls or anything like that.
"I must have [raised it with the landlord] about seven or eight times. That was around 2017, and that's when my health started to react strangely.
"I started panicking because my breathing became shallow and I was getting spots on my skin. My clothes were starting to smell of damp and mould."
Although the landlord eventually put a new kitchen in and repainted the flat in 2019, Marcus suspects they didn't deal with the root cause - as the mould came back even worse.
Marcus said: "They put a new kitchen in and did some painting, but they didn't do a good job at all.
"About a month or two afterwards, all the mould came back through. Obviously they hadn't treated the mould, they just slapped a bit of paint on it."
Marcus continued to live in the property and says he has been “really struggling” with his health ever since, developing horrifying skin lesions from mouldy clothes and coughing up blood.
The former athlete claims he has had organ damage from the damp and is currently waiting to find out if he has kidney failure requiring dialysis.
Marcus said: "I was coughing up blood, I showed the doctors pictures of what looked like blood clots.
"We know that there is bacteria in the system. We're waiting on tests to find out if it's kidney failure. My heart's not functioning well, it has taken a pounding. Everything is packing up.
"I've had to throw away three quarters of my clothes, because they had mould and damp in them. They've irritated my skin and caused these rashes - they even gave me a hole in my leg."
Marcus moved out of the flat last December in preparation for the further repairs to be done - but they didn't even begin until May this year, and he has “lost all confidence” that they will be properly fixed.
He is currently moving between hotels, guest houses and staying with friends.
Marcus said: "They kicked me out and put me in a hotel in December. But they didn't even start the works until May this year. We've nearly gone round a whole year.
"I've lost all confidence, I've had a complete breakdown of communication with these people, because I know how they've been.
"They've allowed me to stay in that property, to let my health deteriorate, and then they've given me no update about what's happening. They've got away with it for so long, they're immune.
"Since then I've been staying in hotels, guest houses, with friends, stuff like that. People have always offered me help, and I've always turned it down [until now]."
He added that his treatment by the landlord made him feel like a 'second-class citizen'.
Marcus said: "I've seen this stuff before on TV about people living in these conditions. The black mould that I have, that's the bad one. I read about a child who had died from it.
"I've never played the race card, but I do think - why is it me? Why am I getting treated like a second-class citizen? It makes me angry."
A Gofundme page set up in Marcus' name has raised more than £10,000 in support of the former Olympian.
You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/marcus-to-receive-the-private-medical-treatment-he-needs
