Mold

[Daris Mulkin]

I don't know if this is in the right spot or not. If not "T" would you put it in the right one.
The only thing I know about Black Mold is that it has to have cellulous to grow or thrive on. Not all the black mold is the one everyone is so scared of. Personally I think some fancy lawyer made a fortune off the mold issue. It has been around since day one and now all of a sudden it is a disaster waiting to happen. Like alot of other things that get alot of press.
So Tandy if you would!!!

Daris

[TFP Admin]

Great topic, Daris, and I would like to learn more about it too. It prob'ly would have done okay in the Inspections forum, but I think it would do better here in the Flooring Potpourri forum where all visitors can at least read about it, if not participate in the discussion.

I think one of the biggest problems has been the publication of so many articles about the dangers of mold, maybe authored by attorneys looking to make money on class action suits. But I believe most people, including many flooring professionals, may not be aware of the different types of mold and which ones we need to be concerned about. And not the least of issues is how to properly handle mold and deal with it for the long term when it comes to selling and installing new floorcoverings or ripping out old and finding the stuff.

I'm confident we have the pros that know - or that can help us find the best information.

Thanks,

Jim

[Tandy Reeves]

OK Daris, lets get started. I am going to approach this as if the general knowledge of air quality control is extremely limited.

Mold has been with mankind for a long, long time. Read in the Bible Leviticus chapters 13 and 14.

Mold and mildew are natures garbage disposals. There are some mold that is good and there is mold that is not good. Next time you eat blue cheese thank mold.

Remember the air we breathe has microns of mold spores, pollen, skin fragments, insects, combustion particles, toner, environmental dust, construction dust, and many other airborne particulates. From time to time some of these particulates will be mentioned, but for the sake of this study MOLD and MILDEW will be our main topics.

DEFINITIONS:
MILDEW

1. Lay term for a discoloration or superficial coating on various materials caused by the growth of fungi. Occurs in damp conditions.

MOLD

1. A fuzzy coating due to growth of a fungus on the surface of decaying vegetable matter or on inorganic objects.
2. Any one of a group of parasitic or saprophytic fungi that causes mold, such as black molds (Mucorales) and blue and green molds (Aspergillales), the latter including Penicillium, the source of the antibiotic penicillin.

FUNGUS

1. Spore-producing organism, a single-cellular organism without chlorophyll that reproduces by spore and and lives by absorbing nutrients from organic matter. Fungi include mildews, molds, smuts, mushrooms, rust, and yeasts.

THE AIR WE BREATHE

Air circulating in the ductwork of our home or office can be some of the poorest quality anywhere. Molds, bacteria, yeasts, dust mites, and viruses - all could be present in every breath you take. Do you realize you fill your lungs up to 20,000 times each day?

These are all aeroallergens that over time become concentrated, causing allergies, inflammation of the mucous membrane, upper respiratory problems, asthmatic conditions, headaches and even flu-like symptoms.

With many of these our immune system does not build up a tolerance but is in fact weakened by continuous exposure.

Indoor air can contain as much as 100 times more airborne contaminants than outside air.
Indoor air quality problems cost North Americans over $100 billion each year in health care, absenteeism, lost production and revenue.

As you know we are making our homes and offices more air tight. We have insulation in the walls, ceilings, windows, and anywhere else air might come in. As a result the same air is cycled over and over - in many instances becoming more contaminated with each cycle. If excessive moisture is added to the mix, problems can quickly develop.

COLLECTION OF AEROALLERGENS

1. What are aeroallergens?
   • Aero = Air
   • Allergen = Substance that produces an allergic reaction.
   • An aeroallergen is an airborne particulate that produces an allergic effect.
   
   It is estimated that 4% of all Americans are afflicted with asthma with or with ALLERGIC RHINITIS and 7% have allergic rhinitis alone. Rhinitis is an inflamed nasal passage - inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose which is usually accompanied by a discharge of mucus.
   
   
   
2. A large number of the above 11% inhalant allergens and in particular pollens and molds are involved and mot frequently the triggers of human atopic allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis.
   
   Atopic allergic is used to describe a condition that is caused by a hereditary tendency to react to certain allergens, such as occurs in hay fever, some skin irritations, and asthma.
   
   
   
3. Pollens and molds qualify by size and weight as aeroallergens since they are in the 2 to 60 micron range of most particulate matter.
   
   Micron is a one millionth of a meter - a unit of linear measurement equivalent to .00003937 inches.

We have six (6) more sections of the three(3) already covered today. If any of you pros or the good people that visit this site have any questions please ask them and we will go over them together. More to come if you wish.

[TFP Admin]

Excellent, Tandy. Keep 'em coming. I hope you don't mind that I edited your post for formatting, etc.

Jim

[Tandy Reeves]

Thanks Jim, and please continue to do so.

[Demonseed]

I actually am certified in mold remediation, I got my books on it around here somewhere (I am not an expert on mold itself just remediation practices). For the most part I agree it seems like a scam, but there are people that are extremely sensitive to mold, and there are varieties that are highly aggressive. In a sense, it is similar to abestos and abestos abatement.

[Daris Mulkin]

Alright!! We got 2 mold experts here I think this is going to be a good topic.
Now what I know of mold remediation used to be anyway was bleach it. At least that what one of the home flippers in this area did. How good is this to kill it? Then I know a friend who is in the business who was telling me about dry ice and carbonate soda anyway that is what I think it was. Anymore on this?
I've been in enough houses that I think had black mold and it didn't have any effect on me I don't think. But I am allergic to Penicillin. But when I was getting my shots in the Navy they asked if I was allergic to eggs for that, which I'm not.
Keep it coming.

Daris

[stullis]

Mold in Homes: Environmental Health in Minnesota

Well it fits but how did this end up in this thread? I was posting this to Lo's thread.

[Tandy Reeves]

Scott that is a very good article, and we will cover most of what was said as we go along. Demonseed do you also do testing? If so what kind?

[Jerry Thomas]

Yes good topic, but we need to keep in mind that nobody can just look at something and factually determine that mold is present. Sample testing is a requirement for this. Am I right or wrong about this ?

[Tandy Reeves]

You are right Jerry. We will explore how this is done. The "how" will be explored, there are several ways.

[Demonseed]

Technically my certification is for testing also, but the scope of what I did didn't require it. there is an air pump test kit, surface swab kits, lift tape and petri dish, of course you can buy all kinds of advanced equipment as well, for the most part all of the samples have to be sent to a lab. The big part about the samples is the chain of evidence and documentation. But this is mostly a dog and pony show. The link posted was pretty accurate.

If you are in a corporate environment testing becomes more important for hidden mold issues, places you cant easily access, visibly or otherwise.

Tandy Reeves said Scott that is a very good article, and we will cover most of what was said as we go along. Demonseed do you also do testing? If so what kind?

[Lo Down]

stullis said Mold in Homes: Environmental Health in Minnesota Well it fits but how did this end up in this thread? I was posting this to Lo's thread.

My question was aimed more about humidity levels and reducing them, but it kinda steered towards mold.
I think this is much better here as it's own topic.

[mcbrides]

Tandy Reeves said It is estimated that 4% of all Americans are afflicted with asthma with or with ALLERGIC RHINITIS and 7% have allergic rhinitis alone. [*]A large number of the above 11% inhalant allergens and in particular pollens and molds are involved and most frequently the triggers of human atopic allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis.

Excellent discussion, Tandy.

For whatever reason, we have both become super-sensitized to environmental conditions when entering job sites. We physically react to everything from pet dander to glade plug in's (we run around and unplug them while we are working). If there is mould or mildew present, our noses let us know pretty fast.

Knowledge of remediation practices will certainly assist us along the way.

D&D

[Tandy Reeves]

Lo we will get to that also down the way. D&D if you react that quick, you should consider using a face mask the instant you feel the breathing issues coming on. You will never build up a resistance to it. In fact it is just the opposite the more you are around it the more it tears down your immune system.