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Toxic Mould Problem Questions & Answers
 
Mould news articles on toxic mold inspection, sampling, testing, removal, and remediation. Toxic mould news articles about mould problems, mould contamination, mould infestation, and fixing mould problems

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>> September 6, 2005

Q. We are thinking of buying a building which when we inspected had considerable mould covering the ceilings in the basement (large black rings of it). It appears the mould may have developed due to a defective water fountain on the main floor as the floor around the fountain is damp and rotten. Also the basement windows have been boarded up for some time as the building has not been in use for about 5 years.

The smell in the basement is overwhelming yet the main floor seems in good shape with no smell or evidence of mould there. What do you think our chances are of getting rid of this problem? And how do we go about it? Incidentally the basement is 90% above ground.

A. It is likely that the basement mould will have grow into the insides of the floor and walls above, necessitating doing internal ceiling/floor/wall inspection through 2 inch by 2 inch or smaller inspection holes cut into those surfaces, as explained at Mold Inspection and in the mould remediation section at Mold Removal & Remediation. It is also likely that airborne mould spores form the basement mould will have traveled in air currents to mould cross contaminate the entire house and its heating/cooling system. Use do it yourself mould test kits (available for delivery in Canada) to mould test the air of the basement, each room above, attic, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mould spores, in comparison to an outdoor mould control test.

>> February 20, 2005

Q. I have a client who has light colored vinyl flooring in her basement bathroom and there are dark spots under the vinyl flooring that look bluish or blackish. The spots look like mould to me, they had this floor put down around 5 years ago and they now want it replaced before it gets worse or spreads.

I believe it's because the cement floor is drawing moisture and being trapped and causing mould. Can I take the vinyl floor up, kill the mould and then use a ceramic tile on the cement floor? I have heard there is a rubber membrane available you can put on the floor then your mesh then scratch coat, does that sound right?

A. Your diagnosis and treatment plan are very good. What is your profession? You should expand your expertise to becoming trained and certified as a Certified Mould Inspector and Remediator. There is a big demand in Canada for such services, but very few trained inspectors and remediators. Visit our mold training website: http://www.ecology-college.com. As an alternative to the rubber membrane and probably more effective on a long-term basis is to remove the vinyl, kill the mould with a strong fungicide, remove the mould growth, and then apply about a one inch thick new basement floor cement finish containing adequate amounts of waterproofing compound---or do both this approach and your good idea of putting a rubber membrane on top of the new floor waterproofed cement liner.
 

>> February 17, 2005

Q. I rent a home in Toronto, Ontario and have recently had many problems with leaking and flooding in the basement. The landlord has denied any structural problems with his house and so I had an inspector come to assess the property. Over 20 violations were cited but unfortunately this inspector was not able to assess the mould problem because that falls under another jurisdiction.

My question is about black mould. I have seen what I believe to be this type of mould in the basement and have just recently discovered that in all probability that the walls are full of it although it is not all visible. I have a two yr. old daughter who has also just been diagnosed with asthma and I am now worried for the safety of my family.

My landlord has just had the roof repaired and tells me when I express my concern about the mould that "it will all go away without moisture, now". Unfortunately I have also just renewed a lease and I want to know the exact danger that we are potentially in. Thank you for your time and I would greatly appreciate further information about this.

A. The leaking and flooding problems in the rental house are going to generate huge levels of indoor mould infestation, both visible, and growing inside floors, walls, ceilings, and the heating/cooling system.  The health of your young daughter and your entire family is at serious risk for major and permanent health damage unless you move promptly to a mould safe place to live.

Unless you take steps like the Tenant Notice to Landlord About Mould, and doing your own documentation of the mould problem with our do it yourself mould test kits which we can ship to your Toronto home, it is likely that your landlord, like most landlords, will do nothing as to safe and effective mould inspection, testing, and remediation of your rental unit's mould infestation problem. You would be wise to move to a mould-safe place as soon as possible. Most mould lords will not spend money to protect tenants against mould health threats. Learn about landlord mould liability. If you are going to move out from your present mould hell, or just move out temporarily during mould remediation, you should carefully mould inspect and test your temporary or new living quarters prior to renting or buying and moving to make sure you are not moving from one mould hell to another. As for your personal property, you are wise to do mould decontamination by washing all items outdoors by washing them thoroughly with Borax laundry detergent, a natural mould cleaner, in warm water. Use one pound of Borax per 1.5 gallons of water. Then spray all items with one or two wet sprayings of your home-made mold killer recipes. To document your apartment mould health threats, you can use our do it yourself mould test kits, available from http://www.moldmart.net. Learn the mould remediation steps that your landlord needs to take AFTER you vacate the apartment [mould remediation while you are in the apartment will make your family even more ill].  

>> January 26, 2005

Q. The complex I live in has a lot of black mould in the insulation in the basement. We have started to notice that members of the complex are getting sick. Most are dealing with bleeding noses, headaches and allergy symptoms. Could this possibly be coming from the mould?

A. Yes, the health problems you list are possibly mould health symptoms---read the list of the top 60 mould health symptoms at http://www.moldinspector.com home page.

Basement mould can easily grow into the floors and walls above. In addition, airborne mould spores from the basement mould can travel in air currents to mould cross-contaminate the entire Canadian apartment complex. Here are several helpful mould tips---To get rid of the mould threat to your health and home investment, first, check your home or building for water intrusion problems. Make sure your kitchen and bathroom exhaust vents go directly to the outside, not into your attic or inside walls.

Check your home carefully for attic, siding, plumbing water leaks, construction defects, or maintenance degradation which permits water to enter your home. Make sure that the roof is properly vented to allow moisture to escape rather than collect in the attic. Check all areas of your house year round [including basement, crawl space, each room, and attic] for the possibility of high indoor humidity with a $30 hygrometer from a large hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowe's. If the humidity exceeds 50 to 60 percent, you have invited mould to be your permanent house guest. Use a programmable dehumidifier to keep indoor moisture to a mould-discouraging 30 to 40%.

Air conditioning systems should be checked to ensure that they drain properly and do not retain moisture.  Moisture, along with dust particles that occur in the system, creates a breeding ground for mould that can then be spread by the heating/cooling system through out the house.  Also use your sense of smell and a strong flashlight to thoroughly inspect all areas of your home for visible mould growth.

Second, use a do-it-yourself mould inspection, mould air testing and mould test kits should be your first steps to determine whether your home and workplace have a serious mould infestation problem. You should visually check all areas of your home with a flashlight and your sense of smell [e.g., duct registers, attic, crawl space, basement, etc] in accordance with the physical mould inspection tips provided at Mould Inspection. If there is even a hidden mould problem inside walls, ceilings, attic, and the heating/cooling system, usually detectable airborne mould spores will make it into the air.

If the indoor mould levels are elevated in comparison to your outdoor mould control test, you know that you probably have a serious mould problem which needs further investigation and possible mould remediation. You can use mold test kits to mould test any visible mould growths, the air of each room, basement, crawl space, attic, garage, the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register, and inside the passenger compartment of your vehicles [often mould cross contaminated if your home or office is mould infested]. Watch the mould test kits for 7 days. If any of the test kits show a large number of mould colonies of one more different types of mould [visually different to you], you can submit the mould test kits into a mould laboratory for mould analysis and mould species identification [only $60 to $70 per mould sample submitted].  If mould test results indicate a problem, you may then want to then hire a Certified Mould Inspector to use fiber optics to inspect inside walls, ceilings, floors, and the heating/cooling ducts for evidence of physical mould growth, and to do in depth mould investigation and inspection. Learn the 25 steps recommended for
safe and effective mould remediation. Buy the best air cleaner to remove airborne mould spores from your home, apartment, or office air to protect your family's or co-workers against breathing in elevated levels of airborne mould spores.

This electronic air cleaner is rated the most effective by the leading, nonprofit USA consumer products testing organization. Become your own effective mould expert to improve your personal home or apartment environmental safety and/or the environmental health of your workplace and investment properties by reading all three of our mould advice, email delivered books [Mould Health Guide, $15; Mould Legal Guide, $15; and Do-It-Best-Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing & Remediation, $15; Mold Monsters, $15, and Mold Home Remedy Recipes, $15] for just $49, the price of only two of these valuable “how to” manuals when you purchase through PayPal or from our online mould products catalog.

>> July 11, 2003

Q. Having new home built and are scheduled to close July 25th. We have noticed in the basement along one long interior wall is concrete but I refer to it as interior as it is not the true outside concrete wall. It is the basement concrete wall along the inside back of garage.) Since the foundation was poured in January, it remains damp half way up the wall. It is now July. We live in Pennsylvania.

We have had a lot of rain and noticed a couple of days ago that the dampness in this area is even darker. We spoke with the project manager this morning who indicated this condition has been noted and they believe that since they have not graded a final time yet that water is getting down into this area and causing the dampness on the wall. Their remedy first is to power wash the basement floor and then put fans in the basement to dry everything out and to grade the dirt.

When we spoke with him on the phone this seemed reasonable however when we looked back at the house plan this is not an exterior concrete wall. Our thought is why would the dampness be on the interior wall. Grading will take place outside the exterior wall.

Should we be concerned? Could fixing the problem as he has stated be sufficient, do we need to have the house tested for mould, or should we get some type of document from the builder that says if the problem does not
clear up they will be responsible?

Thank you for your assistance.

A. You must get this water problem fixed to your satisfaction before buying the home or you are going to have sufficient water intrusion to enable big-time mould growth in your new home. The wet wall will drive up indoor humidity levels, thus making mould be able to grow through out your home, especially after continually re-circulating airborne mould spores through your heating/cooling equipment and ducts. The wet wall can also ultimately have mould growing on it as organic dust and dirt lands on the wet wall, providing food for airborne mould spores to grow after landing on the wet wall. You need to have the wall and water problem inspected by a qualified professional such as a licensed physical engineer, basement foundation contractor, and/or home inspector. You must discover for sure what is the cause of the water problem and what is the solution that will work. If the problem is simply the grade that the home builder says will take care of the problem, delay the closing until a few weeks after the grading is done. Better yet, ask your attorney to negotiate a holding of some of the purchase funds of the house into an escrow account to cover future water problems.  Keeping water and high humidity out of your home is of the utmost importance to your family's health and financial well-being.