Bendix Home Inspection,Inc. 734-377-5616 Rick@bendixinspect.com
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Facts About Mold
What is mold?
• Mold (mildew), mushrooms, and yeast are all types of fungi. Fungi are found both indoors and outdoors.
• Hundreds of different kinds of mold are commonly found in the United States.
How do I recognize it?
• Mold can be many different colors. It may look furry, slimy, or powdery.
• Some mold has a musty, stale, or earthy odor.
• Mold usually grows in damp places, such as bathrooms and basements.
What does mold need to grow?
• Mold needs water and food. It can grow almost anywhere there is water, high humidity, or damp conditions.
• Mold grows faster in warm temperatures and high humidity.
• Mold can feed on paper, fabric, wallpaper glue, sheetrock, wood, soap scum, leather, and many other surfaces.
How are people exposed to mold?
• You can breathe in mold particles if mold is disturbed or damaged.
• You can also breathe in tiny spores (similar to seeds) that mold may release into the air.
• You can touch mold and get it on your skin.
• You can swallow mold if you eat moldy or spoiled food.
What are the health effects of mold?
• Some people are allergic to molds.
• Mold exposure may cause or worsen asthma symptoms, hay fever, or other allergies.
• The most common symptoms of mold exposure are cough, congestion, runny nose, and trouble breathing. Symptoms usually disappear after the mold contamination is removed.
• More severe reactions to mold may occur among workers exposed to large amounts of mold on the job, such as farmers working with moldy hay.
Should I see a doctor if I have been exposed to mold?
• If you think that you or your children have symptoms related to mold exposure, you should see a doctor. Keep in mind that many symptoms associated with mold exposure are also caused by many other illnesses.
How can mold be prevented?
• The best way is to remove water and moisture sources. Fixing leaks, drying damp areas, and removing humidity from the air (e.g., using a dehumidifier in basements; cracking a window while taking a shower in bathrooms with no exhaust ventilation) will help stop mold growth and keep it from coming back.
How can I safely clean mold in my home?
• Use soap and water to clean small areas of mold (less than 10 square feet) on walls or other hard surfaces as soon as you see it.
• Wear waterproof gloves.
• Dry the cleaned area completely.
• If the mold returns quickly or spreads, there may be an underlying problem such as a water leak. To stop mold, water problems must be fixed.
• If large areas of mold are present, you may need a professional mold abatement company. Check the phone book for mold abatement contractors.
What does my landlord have to do?
• Your landlord and building manager must keep your building in good condition so mold will not grow. This means repairing water leaks and correcting persistently high humidity levels.
• If you have a lot of mold (more than 10 square feet) or it keeps coming back after you have cleaned it, ask your landlord to fix the problem
Why sample for biological materials?
The goal of biological sampling is to help determine whether the biological particles present in a particular environment are affecting or causing irritation in certain individuals. Sampling is also used to locate the sources of indoor microorganisms and facilitate an effective remediation. While we are typically surrounded by a wide variety of different microorganisms every day, sampling provides us with a method to establish in a scientific way whether the environment in question contains more organisms than would normally be present. There are numerous techniques that may be used to evaluate the level of indoor microorganisms. We believe, however, that scientific comparisons are only possible when measured volumes of air are sampled and when results of surveys are expressed in terms of volumetric measurements.
Culturable vs. non-culturable methods.
Currently, there are no widely accepted protocols or regulations regarding biological air sampling. In the absence of standards, we believe that common sense should prevail. We know that some bacteria and fungal spores can cause disease only when they are alive (viable), while others are capable of producing allergies or irritation even when no longer living. Also, while cultures may permit greater accuracy in speciating some fungal organisms present, spores vary widely in their ability to grow and compete on laboratory media. This may result in an inaccurate characterization of the area sampled. Therefore, a complete sampling protocol for the biological flora in any environment uses both a culturable and non-culturable sampling method. There are times when this is not possible due to time and budget constraints. In these cases, we currently believe that a non-culturable spore trap sample provides a more accurate "snapshot" of the air and is usually the best choice when only one sampling method can be used.