Toxic Molds
Are molds toxic? The answer has to be no. The dictionary defines toxic as “relating to or containing a poison or toxin, or causing serious harm or death”. Common sense begs the question; if molds are toxic how have we survived all these years?
Just what is mold; the dictionary defines mold as “a fungus that causes organic matter to decay”.
Do you know humans eat fungi, Agaricus bisporus, know as the common mushroom, white mushroom or button mushroom plus others like the Portobello.
Some will argue that molds can produce potentially toxic substances. They may be correct. There is no question that many people develop allergic reactions to molds and there is no question that mold has a potential to cause serious health problems, but toxic they are not.
Mold is visible stuff on the surfaces of just about everything. Mold spores are invisible to the naked eye. Mold spores attach to clothes, animals, that chair or umbrella you just stored in the basement and they will become a problem when there are water problems.
“I found mold growing in my home; how do I test the mold?
It is not necessary to test for mold unless you are just curious.
There are no established standards for judging acceptable levels of mold, so really what difference does it make if you know or do not know which molds are present.
We all need to understand that mold growth inside a building is related to water problems.
Facts about mold:
- Molds are everywhere either dormant or active.
- It is impossible to get rid of all molds indoors.
- Mold growth is directly related to water problems.
- Mold can grow within 24-48 hours of an initial water problem.
- The mix of mold indoors should be equal to or less than the mix of mold outdoors.
What to do first:
Identify water problems first, identifying water problems is more important than identifying the different types of molds that are present. Fix the water problems.
This sounds simple and sometimes it can be very simple.
Some water problems are obvious others are not:
Identify the obvious problems first. Plumbing, roof, foundation, under-floor crawl space, A/C condensate holding tank, bathroom exhaust, loose fitting windows, metal single glaze windows and the list goes on.
An A/C system that cools too quickly does not have a chance to remove humidity.
Indoor humidity levels above 50% can be a source of moisture.
Cleaning:
Cleaning mold can be very expensive and a waste of time and money if the source of water is not identified and corrected.
Is this a job for a homeowner? Not really, most homeowners will use bleach and bleach just will not reach the roots. Bleach will remove the color, but it will not kill the mold.
Call a professional mold remediation contractor.
Visit the CDC’s web site http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm.
ASAP Mold Remediation - Blair Dean Ph.D. C.M.I. http://asapmold.com/index.html
