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Frequently Asked Questions About Toxic Mold
 
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Frequently asked questions what is toxic mold, mycotoxins, Stachybotrys chartarum, black mold, mold growth.

    What is mold and where is it found?

Molds are a type of fungus and can be found indoors and outdoors. Important organisms in the environment, they help decompose organic materials. There are thousands of mold species. Mold grows in humid environments, such as in bathrooms, kitchens, attics and basements. Some molds produce potent toxins called mycotoxins that can be deadly to humans.

How does mold affect health?

The most common health effects of molds are allergies, or allergic rhinitis. A 1993 study by the Institute of Medicine, a federally funded agency, estimates that one in five Americans has allergic rhinitis. Persons with allergies are three times more likely to develop asthma, but it's not yet clear why. Studies mostly show that people who test positive on an allergy skin test for mold have a greater likelihood of developing asthma. But not everyone does. What's unclear is whether indoor mold exposure is as great of an asthma trigger as dust mites, cockroaches and pet dander. It's also not known how much of the nation's sinus and skin problems (atopic dermatitis) are mold-related.

What other health problem do molds cause?

There's a big debate about that. Higher concentrations of mold may cause rare lung disorders such as hypsensitivity pneumonitis and other breathing or serious, chronic allergy problems. In Cleveland, a team of specialists continues to investigate a bleeding lung disorder, pulmonary hemosiderosis, in infants who lived in highly contaminated housing. Until more is known, an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement issued in 1998 recommends that infants under 1 year of age not be exposed to chronically moldy, water-damaged environments. Babies are particularly at risk if they live in damp residences and are exposed to cigarette smoke.

Molds also have been linked to memory loss, lung disease and fatigue. Research continues. For now, physicians recommend a period of absence from a suspect environment. If symptoms disappear, mold may be a culprit.

Cancer and organ donation patients, as well as persons with cystic fibrosis or HIV, or elderly people may be more susceptible to chronic health problems linked to mold.

What are the most common symptoms?

Mold exposure can cause a persistent cough, congestion, runny nose, eye irritation, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue and an aggravation of asthma.

What is Stachybotrys chartarum?

Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra) is a fairly uncommon, greenish-black mold that grows on materials with high cellulose content, such as drywall, ceiling tiles and wood that become moist or water-damaged from excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation or flooding. It is not the black mold commonly found on grout between bathroom tiles. It only can be identified by trained professionals. It is one of the types of mold that produces mycotoxins, but it's not known how long of an exposure causes serious health problems.

There's a major debate about whether the inhalation of mycotoxins in homes, schools or businesses causes serious health problems. The debate was renewed last October when the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine released a statement saying that "current scientific evidence does not support the proposition that human health has been adversely affected by inhaled mycotoxins in the home, school or office environment.

How common is Stachybotrys (the dangerous mold) in homes and buildings?

While molds are very common in buildings and homes and will grow anywhere indoors where there is moisture, Stachybotrys chartarum relatively uncommon.

What tests help determine if you have a mold-related health problem?

The current gold standard is the allergy skin test. People with allergies produce high amounts of a protein, IgE, that is a marker of allergy, producing a red, hive-like reaction, when their skin is swabbed with a small mold sample. There are other lung and blood tests that help establish a diagnosis, along with a careful history of a person's home and work environment. Often, doctors suggest a brief absence from the home or workplace to see if symptoms disappear.

How do you find mold?

Look for visible signs of mold. It may grow on a basement wall, carpeting, behind paneling or in an attic. Look for discoloration: white, orange, green, brown and black. The most effective way to treat mold is to correct underlying water damage and clean the affected area.

How should mold be cleaned?

Mold should be cleaned immediately, by persons without allergies or symptoms. Wear gloves and open windows, if possible. Use diluted bleach (9 parts water to one part bleach) or a soapy cleaning solution. Leave on for 15 minutes and allow to dry. Then discard rags and sponges when done. In cases of flooding and leaks, dry carpets, papers, books or items within 24 hours. If the items still show dampness, discard. You may have to remove wood, paneling or drywall or if they are water-stained. If it returns, look deeper for leaks and sources of dampness. Use a federally approved respirator in major clean-ups.  For more details please visit : Mold Killer.

How can I prevent mold?

Run bathroom ventilators for 15 minutes after showering or bathing. Vent clothes dryers and stoves to the outdoors. Use a basement dehumidifier in the summer. Don't carpet the basement.

What types of doctors treat mold-related problems?

Start with your primary care physician. Specialists you may need to see include allergy, pulmonary and environmental health physicians.

What is Toxic Mold?

Toxic Mold is mold that contains poisons in its spores, called mycotoxins that can adversely affect peoples health. The most worrisome mold is called Stachybotrys chartarum (also called Stachybotrys atra). It is greenish-black and thrives on material with a high cellulose and low nitrogen content, such as fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and lint. It grows in moist areas, with excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, water infiltration, or flooding.

How hazardous are Toxic molds that grow in homes and buildings. Are there serious health risks?

The most serious hazard is presented by mold that contains mycotoxins that can cause health problems such as pulmonary hemorrhage or sick building syndrome and allergic symptoms. However, the vast majority of mold growing in the home or shower is a mere nuisance and does not pose any serious health risks. Severe reactions have occurred among workers exposed to mold in occupational settings. These reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. In rare cases, people with asthma or weak immune systems, or obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs.

How do toxic molds get started and grow?

Molds naturally occur and the mold spores may also enter the home through windows, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The spores arrive on surfaces with moisture, they will grow, using the building materials as nutrients to reproduce. Stachybotrys mold lives on moist and water logged wood and paper, its grow in wallpaper, thermal insulation, fiberboard, dry wall, and gypsum board. It prefers all cellulose materials, including paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products. The mold requires constant moisture for its growth.

When should people leave a home or other building because of toxic mold?

There have been many cases where homes have become uninhabitable because of mold. Most often the problem can be treated with aggressive removal and treatment. Obviously if people in the home are ill because of exposure to mold in a building, you should consider relocating while the mold is removed.

Does Stachybotrys cause acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage among infants?

Some researchers believe that pulmonary hemorrhage in infants has been caused by Stachybotrys chartarum. However, the instances of this condition are very rare and the connection is not well understood.

How do you get rid of mold?

If the amount of mold is in a small area try killing and removing it with bleach and water. If there is an extensive amount of mold there are professional companies that specialize in removing mold from buildings and homes. You can contact the  Certified Mold Contractor to fix your toxic mold problem.

How can lawyer help me if I have Mold?

Obviously you cannot take the mold to court. Most of the legal action has centered on insurance companies that do not pay for claims related to mold damage. A lawyer can help you get the money owed to you under an insurance policy if the insurer is refusing to pay. In other cases, if the occupant of a home or a worker has been seriously harmed by the presence of mold there may be a case against the building owner who failed to maintain the property. For more information please visit: Mold Lawyer

What causes mold to develop?

Mold requires nutrients, water, oxygen and favorable temperatures to grow. Nutrients for mold are present in dead organic material such as wood, paper or fabrics; mold can also derive nutrients from some synthetic products such as paints and adhesives. Mold requires moisture, although some mold species can obtain that moisture from moist air when the relative humidity is above 70 per cent. Many molds thrive at normal indoor temperatures; few if any molds are able to grow below 40 F or above 100 F. Outside this range molds may remain dormant or inactive; they may begin to grow again when the temperature is more favorable. Temperatures well above 100 F will kill mold and mold spores, but the exact temperature required to kill specific species is not well established.

How does mold get into a building?

Molds are decomposers of organic material such as wood, plants and animals. Mold and mold spores are found in high concentrations wherever there is dead matter such as a pile of leaves, manure or compost. Mold spores enter buildings through the air or on people, animals and objects that are brought into the building. Spores are small bundles of genetic material and chemicals (similar to seeds) that molds make under certain conditions.

Are there harmful and non-harmful molds?

There are only a few molds that can cause infection in healthy humans. Some molds cause infections only in people with compromised immune systems. The biggest health problem from exposure to mold is allergy and asthma in susceptible people. There are more than 100,000 types of mold. Good information has been developed for only a small number of these molds – at least in terms of their effects on human health. Most people tolerate exposure to moderate levels of many different molds without any apparent adverse health effects.

Some molds produce powerful chemicals called "mycotoxins" that can produce illness in animals and people. Scientific knowledge about the health effects of these toxins on humans is quite limited.

Does mold affect everyone the same way?

No. Some individuals have a genetic makeup that puts them at risk for developing allergies to mold. People who have an allergy to mold, especially if they also have asthma, can become ill from exposure to a small amount of mold. Individuals also seem to be quite different in their response to exposure to the toxic chemicals that some molds release. These differences between individuals contribute to the difficult question of determining safe exposure limits for mold.

How much mold exposure is harmful?

No one knows the answer to this question for several reasons. Individuals are very different with respect to the amount of mold exposure they can tolerate. Children under the age of one year may be more susceptible to the effects of some molds than older individuals. Measuring or estimating "exposure" levels is very difficult. "Exposure" means the amount of mold (microscopic spores and mold fragments) that gets into a person usually by breathing, but also by eating or absorption through the skin. For example, a building may have a lot of mold in the walls but very little of that mold is getting into the air stream. In that case the people working or living in that building would have little mold exposure.

Can mold exposure cause brain damage or death?

Although some "experts" claim that individuals have brain damage or have died because of exposure to mold and especially mold toxins, there is no good science at this time to support these claims. Consequently it is prudent to minimize one's exposure to really moldy environments. By "really moldy" we mean where there are large visible areas of mold (more than a few square feet) or the building has a "musty" odor because of hidden mold growth. There are many epidemiological studies showing that people who live in houses with dampness have many more health problems, especially respiratory, than do people who live in dry houses. This association does not "prove" that it is the mold that is responsible for the increase in illness. However, it does support the assertion that it is not wise to live in damp, moldy buildings.

Does tighter building construction promote mold development?

Tighter building construction does not by itself promote mold growth, but tight construction combined with some poor choices in design, building materials or operations can increase the probability of mold growth. What do we mean? The tighter the building construction the less air exchange there is between the inside air and the outside air. Whatever gets into the inside air stays there longer than it would in a house with loose construction. Moisture that gets into the air from activities such as cooking, bathing and even breathing will remain in a tight house longer than it would in a loose house. That's why exhaust fans should be installed in bathrooms and kitchens and vented to the outside. Clothes dryers should also be vented to the outside.

Tight construction permits control of the air exchange between the inside and the outside and can prevent the deposition of moisture in walls and roofs. Controlling moisture, including indoor relative humidity is the key to preventing mold growth. Tight building construction when combined with source control of moisture (exhaust fans) and controlled ventilation (intentional introduction of outside air) reduces the probability of mold growth in a building. Controlled ventilation can be provided by a duct that brings outside air to the return side of the air handler of a forced air system. A timing device or fan cycler can be programmed to have the air handler turn on for a specified number of minutes each hour even when there is no call for heating or cooling. In cold climates controlled ventilation is frequently provided by a heat recovery ventilator (HRV).

Do new building materials (e.g. drywall or paper faced gypsum board) promote mold growth?

Mold needs water, a nutrient source, oxygen and favorable temperature to grow. Many species of mold love paper faced gypsum board. Why? Making paper involves the mechanical and chemical processing of wood. Paper is largely pre-digested so it is easy for mold to get nutrients from the paper. But unless there is enough moisture present mold can't grow on the paper. If paper faced gypsum board is kept dry, it can be used and still not have mold. This material is kept dry by controlling the interior relative humidity, keeping rain from entering roofs and walls, and NOT using paper faced gypsum in areas that are likely to get wet. This means no paper faced gypsum board in shower and tub areas. Cement board, mortar or non-paper faced gypsum can safely be used in these damp areas because these products do not contain nutrients to support mold growth.

Are there reliable tests to indicate the presence of mold?

Almost all of us already have two effective mold detectors: our eyes and our noses. If black or green discoloration is noticed that is fuzzy in appearance and is in a location that is damp or had been damp, it is almost certainly mold. If a building smells musty, there probably is mold somewhere; the mold may be on boxes stored in a basement or in walls or in the crawl space. If you want to find mold, look for the presence of water or a location where water was likely to have been. If there is still any question about whether the black stuff is mold, have a reliable laboratory examine the material. All you need to know is whether mold is seen when the material is examined under the microscope.

An increasing number of companies are offering "air testing for mold." On the surface this seems like a reasonable thing to do. The problem, however, is that the results of most air sampling for mold are meaningless for two reasons. Air sampling for mold was not developed to determine if an environment was safe or had a dangerous level of mold in the air. Air sampling was developed to help identify the location of a hidden reservoir of mold. If the source of mold is already identified, air sampling does not provide additional meaningful information. Furthermore, safe or toxic levels of air borne mold have not been established. An individual air sample for mold provides a "snapshot" of what was in the air during the few minutes of sampling. The results may not be indicative of the amount of mold that is in the air during most of the day.

Air sampling for mold should be done either to obtain an answer to a question that cannot be answered without the air sampling or to obtain data as part of a research project. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists do not recommend routine air testing for mold.

If mold is present, what's the best way to get rid of it?

The answer depends on how much mold is present and where it is located. If the mold is on furnishings or boxes simply discard the materials. Moldy materials are not considered hazardous waste; they can be sent to a regular landfill. However, it is smart to seal the mold material in heavy plastic to protect the people who handle it in transit and prevent spreading large amounts of the mold into the building as you carry the material out of it.

If the mold is on a hard surface but occupies less than 10 square feet wash the area with soapy water (scrubbing with a brush may be necessary), rinse and allow the area to dry before repainting. If you have asthma, severe allergies and a weaken immune system get someone else to do the clean up.

Larger areas (greater than 10 square feet in area) should be cleaned by someone with experience in doing this type of work. Remember, determine what caused the moisture problem and correct that problem. Otherwise, mold is likely to recur.

Is it possible to completely eliminate mold from the inside of a home or office building?

The answer depends upon what is meant by "completely eliminate mold." To keep a building completely free of mold spores requires very efficient air filtration and is only accomplished in special situations such as hospital operating rooms and manufacturing "clean rooms." Remember, mold spores are in the outside air virtually all the time and some of them will get inside buildings.

However, it is possible to keep mold from growing inside a building. Moisture control is the key to controlling mold in interior spaces. Air filtration can contribute to lowering mold spores in the air but is secondary to moisture control.

How do I know when the mold clean up is finished?

The mold cleanup is finished when there is no visible mold remaining and there is no dust or dirt remaining that could contain large amounts of mold and mold spores. Routine clearance testing for mold is not necessary. Leaving a few mold spores behind is not a problem if the underlying moisture problem has been corrected. Remember that mold spores are virtually everywhere. Even if all mold and mold spores are removed as part of the cleanup, spores from outside will re-enter that space. The spores won't be able to grow unless water is also present.