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Certified
Mould Inspector
or Remediator
in Canada, or to be trained
and
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[June 17, 2003]
Q. I know
someone that has mould in their house. It is very visible, it is all over one of
the bedrooms walls and in the insulation and you can smell it through out the house. The mould is black and kind of speckled. This house is very old and has been closed
up with no one living in it for about 5 years. Is this mould harmful and what
kind of damage can it cause if it is not taken care of properly? They think that
it is just regular harmless everyday mould. Is there such a thing? If this mould
has been there for a long time what kind of damage could it have caused the
house?
A. The large amount of visible mould, the long time
that the mould has had to spread, and the strong smell of mould indicate that there is probably mould infestation
growing not only on walls, but also INSIDE walls, ceiling,
floors, heating/air conditioning ducts, attic, crawl space, and
basement. It would be advisable that this house NOT be occupied
until the house has been professionally inspected and mould
tested to identify and to quantify and to find all of the hidden
mould growth area and until the house has been totally and
effectively mould remediated [which might cost more than the
house is worth]. Mould contamination indoors can cause serious
and permanent health problems to occupants. For in depth
information on mould inspection, testing, and remediation, please
visit the how to advice pages on
Official
Mold Inspector Website,
Mould Types,
and Mold Mart.
[May 8, 2003]
Q. We moved into our home 18 years ago. There was
an apartment in the basement. Our basement is a raised ranch at
the back but in ground at front of house. At the back of the
house downstairs is the recreation/family room now. We
reinsulated it and laid down a carpet. There was a sub floor
already there. We also have 2 bedrooms closer to the front of the
house. The first one has not caused us any problems as neither
has the recreation room. The bedroom at the very front of the
house which is your usual in ground basement has over the last 14
years smelt musty. I always thought it was my daughters new box
spring mattress, which we bought right after we renovated the room
(was tiled and we put an inlay then carpet on the floor). I even
returned the mattress claiming it was the batting in the mattress
that was smelling moldy/musty. They replaced it with another one
and I left the plastic on for fear it would smell again. It was
better for a long time but then the odor started to reappear
again. We decided to tear the wallboard off to see if the cement
walls were leaking, but they were not. We reinsulated the walls,
then we tore up the carpet as it smelt musty too. The carpet had
some rings underneath it and when we tore up the under padding,
the tile had black mould on it and the under padding was black.
Could we clean the tile with something as it is going to be
difficult to remove it?? Help !!!
A.
You will need to remove and discard all
mould-contaminated building materials, including the tile,
carpet, and padding. You will also need to find the source of
water that has enable the mould to grow [e.g., humidity level
about 60%, water seeping upward through concrete floor, water
seeping through masonry walls of the basement, water pipe leaks,
etc. Unless you stop the water problem, you will not stop the
unhealthy mould problem. You also need to test the air of your
various basement rooms, your main floor rooms, and hvac ducts on
both levels for elevated levels of unhealthy mould spores. You
can use our do it yourself mould test kits [Mold
Mart],
or hire one of our [Certified
Mould Inspectors and Remediators].
For detailed info on mould inspection, mould testing, and mould
remediation and removal, please read the detailed informational
pages on
Mould Types, plus Mould
Inspector website.
[April 16, 2003]
Q.
We moved into our home two years ago this month. Since that time,
we have had some water in the basement, and we have determined
that the water is coming in about midway up on the front face of
the house where the Stucco and Brick meet, also where the Stucco
forms a seam around two of the front windows. It is a very small
seam and the water only penetrates it during severe rain storms.
Water has probably been evident about 7 or 8 times over the two
years. The water seems to travel along the outer plywood behind
the brick, until it reaches the floor level of the upstairs, we
have noticed some moisture under the baseboard, however the carpet
and pad have always remained dry. What is the likelihood that
mould has begun growing? We have not been able to physically see
or smell any type of mould, and for the most part the plywood and
floor board is dry quickly after the rainstorm subsides. Is there
a type of remediation that could be sprayed in the general area
though not directly on the areas where the water has traveled,
that would kill any type of mould?
A.
First, you must stop the water seepage into your basement walls
as soon as possible. Otherwise, why worry about mould
remediation? Second, you should test your basement rooms and
the rooms above the basement for the presence of elevated levels
of mould spores, a strong sign that you have a serious mould
infestation problem somewhere in your house. Third, you need to
open up all walls that have possibly gotten wet to do mould
inspection and testing. You can either use our do it yourself
mould test kits [
Mold Mart
] to test for mould, or hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors
[
Mould Professionals
]. Fourth, if you open up the walls and find mould growth or
testing reveals elevated levels of mould spores in those opened
up areas, you need to mould remediate that area in accordance
with the steps explained at our website information
Mould Removal
.
[April 3, 2003]
Q. We have
had a condensation problem over our den and about 2 years ago the
ceiling started to turn black in a small area. We planned to have it
fixed
but now wonder if we should touch it without having it inspected. My
husband has several of the symptoms or health related problems due to
Black Mould. chronic fatigue, memory loss, and also a bad tremor. These
problems have occurred since the black stain appeared. Please let me
know who to contact to have our home tested.
A. One concern you should have is whether the visible mould
is only the tip of the iceberg. Another concern is the type of mould
infestation you are dealing with. You can use Scotch tape to collect a
sample of the visible mould to send to our Mold Inspector Laboratory
International, Ltd. for
mould analysis and mould identification. You should also test the room
air in the various rooms and areas of your home [such as hvac ducts,
attic, basement, crawl space] for elevated levels of airborne mould
spores. To do so, use our mould test kits. Info on tape lift sampling,
mould test kits & our expert mould lab analysis service is contained at
Mold Mart . If you want your home inspected and
tested by one of our Certified Mould Inspectors,
please visit:
Mould Professionals . You should also stop the
condensation problem by operating a dehumidifier that is set to keep
room air at 30 to 40% humidity, a level that discourages mould growth.
[Feb. 20, 2002]
Q. My
father's house is over 40 years old and has had multiple water leaks
over the years, from the roof, leaky plumbing, etc. There are several
places that have visible mould on the painted walls. This mould has grown
worse over the past few years. I have strongly encouraged him to have
the house tested but I think he is afraid of what might be found, and is
also suspicious of mould "scam artists" who would turn his life and
finances into turmoil. He and his wife are not apparently suffering any
ill effects, but my husband is convinced that our six-year old son is
ill with a cough because of a four-hour holiday visit to the home. My
husband is also concerned about the few items I have brought from my
father's home to ours (i.e. clothing, photographs). So, from reading
your website I am convinced that my dad needs to face reality and get
the testing done. However, I still have a few questions: Are brief
visits to this home (hours) too risky for the health of young children?
Could our home already be infected with mould from items we have removed
from my dad's home? If so, should we test our home for
the spores?
A. In a
just four hour visit [or even a half hour or less visit!] to a mould
infested home or work place can enable one to breathe in enough toxic
mould spores to become sick. The mould spores can also enter the body by
eating food and drinking water upon which airborne mould spores have
landed. You can test anything you have brought from your father's home
to your home by placing the items in a plastic walled containment area,
using a fan to blow air over the items for at least a half hour, and
then doing an air test of the air inside the containment area. Please
read the testing instructions for our do-it-yourself mould test kit with
laboratory analysis at
Mould Mart.
You should also have your entire home mould inspected and tested. To
help your father know whether his home is mould contaminated, why don't
you do a few of your own mould tests in his home and hvac ducts, or pay a
Certified Mould
Inspector to very thoroughly inspect and mould test the
home. Show your love and respect for your father by paying for the
testing yourself!!!
[Feb. 8, 2003]
Q. I store several cords of firewood
in my garage which is directly under the living room of my house. There
is a white mould which grows on some of this cut and split wood. Some of
the wood which has the mould on it is very light, as if the substance of
the wood has been consumed, although the size & shape of the
pieces has not changed. The wood feels dry, and the mould also is not
slimy or wet feeling, although the wood burns faster then the wood
without any sign of mould. The property I own is about 5 acres of wooded
land in Northeastern Connecticut. I have cleared about 1/4 acre on the
far corner of my land, and I use this area for working my firewood. I
first noticed mould growing on my cut wood after I had cut down a few
maple trees from my own property. I had cut the wood into manageable
pieces and brought them to the back of my house. After just a few
weeks, I went to split the wood, and it was already deeply rotted and
covered with white mould. I try not to leave wood laying for very long
out there now. For several years, I occasionally get a possible mould
smell in the house. This is a very pungent smell, and nothing that
compares to anything I recognize. It is almost a chemical smell. My
domestic partner never comments on the smell, and when I say I smell it,
he says he cannot. Yet the smell fills the house and is very noticeable
to me. This smell comes and goes, only lasting for a day or two at a
time, but I can go weeks without noticing it. I have not made a record
of when I seem to notice it although I have recently thought to do so. I
seem to notice it more on damp rainy days. This smell is definitely from
within the house, and not outside. I recently saw a documentary on TV
regarding mould, and never thought to link the smell to the mould on the
firewood until I saw this TV show. In this show, the people who lived
within a house that later was deemed to be filled with black mould were
all coming down with unexplained symptoms. This worried me, as I have a
list of unexplained symptoms also. The medical problems I have gone to
my doctor with, and he cannot explain thru medical testing are as
follows: Chronic, constant Headache, Chronic fatigue, Bloody nose, Joint
pain, Memory loss Skin rashes, mild [Diagnosed as "dermatitis" by my
doctor].
A.
As to the differences in your being able to smell possible mould, while
your partner doesn't---that is normal because people's sensitivity to
mould and in smelling mould varies significantly from one person to
another. The many very serious mould health symptoms you are experiencing
should be a big wakeup call to you to take action in regard to hiring
the thorough and complete mould inspection, testing, and mould remediation
of your house.
For your health well-being, remove immediately all
of the firewood from your garage and store it outside and away from your
home [maybe up on blocks and covered with plastic or tarps to keep rain
from wetting the firewood and to keep mould spores from getting airborne
to travel into your home]. Mould spores have probably traveled in air
movement from the mould growing in the firewood beneath your garage into
the rest of your home. You need to have your entire home carefully
inspected and mould tested by a
Certified Mould
Inspector to determine what types of mould are in elevated
levels inside your home. Living in a woods also increases substantially
the entry of airborne mould spores into your home through open doors and
windows and window screens. You may need to use powerful hepa filters
with large ultraviolet lights to remove and to kill airborne mould spores
entering your home from your woods, where mould has a great, ongoing
feast on decaying wood, leaves, and plants. For more info on mould
inspection and testing, please visit the mould inspection page of
Mould. If you want to do your own initial mould tests, you
can buy do it yourself mould test kits with our laboratory analysis at
Mould Mart.
[Jan. 26, 2003]
Q.
We
have a detached garage that was probably never properly vented and as a
result has some black mould forming on the ceilings and walls. My husband
plans to just bleach it - but I am curious to know if it is toxic. Any
suggestions?
A.
Improper or inadequate ventilation of the garage may have caused the
humidity to get into the dangerous 60 percent or higher humidity level
that enables mould to grow. You should be checking the humidity
level with a digital hygrometer [buy from Lowe's, Home Depot or hardware
thermostat department]. But you should also check the roof and siding
carefully for any water leaks that have facilitated mould growth. Even
though you are not living in the garage, it is possible that dangerous
mould spores may have traveled via air currents from the detached garage
into your home. For this reason, it would be advisable to test your
garage for mould identification,
plus the rooms inside your home to determine if there are elevated
levels of mould spores. You can use our do-it-yourself mould test kits,
or utilize one of our
Certified
Mould Inspectors.
If any wood has mould growing inside the wood, the wood should be
replaced with mould-free lumber. Don't use bleach to kill mould because
it doesn't.
Mould Mart sells
mold products and services.
[Aug. 21, 2002]
Q.
Last
year we stored a mattress and box-spring in a garage. Over the winter
they both developed a musty smell. I thought we would have to
dispose of them since I am allergic to moulds and have severe asthma.
However, over the warm months of the summer, the smell has decreased
considerably. Is the mould going away? Is there any way to
completely kill or remove the mould from the mattress and box-spring?
Will simply drying them out in the sun cure this particular kind of mould
problem? Would it ever be safe for me to sleep on them,
considering my health problems?
A. Mould
does not "go away" without mould remediation of some type. Your
best bet is to throw away the mattress and box springs because their
value is probably less than the cost of having the items tested for mould
[$125 or more
per
test
including lab analysis fee]. A professional certified mould inspector can
test each item's surface for mould using a Mould Inspector "carpet
sampler" and/or do an airborne test for elevated levels of mould
spores in the room garage or where ever the items are currently being
stored.
[Oct. 11, 2001]
Q.
I'm scared to death of mould. My parents house had it (they were moved
into a motel in March and the house still isn't finished, my father died
in May and spent the last months of his life in a motel), another friend
of mine in town (he and his wife and 6 children were moved out of their
home for 9 months) and my best friend's mother died from it. I'm about
to purchase a house. It was built in 1954 and has a limestone exterior.
When it was inspected, it was not inspected for mould. I was told that
older homes have cured wood and that they are likely not to have mould
unless they've had water leaks. I've been told that newer homes were the
"problem" homes. Please tell me if this school of thought is generally
true, and what steps I can take to protect myself. Would cleaning the
vents be helpful or a waste of money? Please help, Kathie
A.
Generally, newer homes are often at greater risk of mould contamination
than are older homes because of the following factors:
(1) moldy building
materials are received from the builder’s supplier;
(2) the builder and
its supervisors and employees fail to do quality control to inspect for,
and, thus, prevent moldy building materials from being used in the
home’s construction;
(3) the builder
stores the inventory of building materials on the outside ground with no
plastic sheeting to protect the building materials from rain [which thus
supplies the necessary water to enable mould to grow in and on the
materials];
(4) the
construction crew fails to cover the entire home under construct- ion
with plastic sheeting at the end of each construction day to protect the
building materials from rain [which thus supplies the necessary water to
enable mould to grow in and on the materials]. The roof and side walls
need to be protected against rain until the entire roof, siding,
windows, and doors are totally installed to seal out rain;
(5) the builder fails to
inspect and test the home for mould growth while it is being constructed
and at the home’s completion; and
(6) use of modern
building materials like chip wafer boards, drywall (plasterboard), &
plywood--- all of which moulds love to eat.
Cleaning air ducts
does not solve mould infestation problems because duct cleaning doesn't
solve the mould contamination problem that may have put mould into the
ducts. Duct cleaning and replacement (including replacement of air
handling equipment) may be necessary after the complete removal of mould
contamination from a home or building.
What is needed is a
complete mould testing of the home in question, including testing for
hidden mould above ceilings, inside walls, below floors, and inside
heating and air conditioning ducts and air handling equipment [plus
heating and cooling units themselves].
[Oct.
2, 2001]
Q.
I have 7 kids. Ages 17, 11, 5, 3, 3, 2, and 2. I moved into this
apartment 2 1/2 yrs. ago. Since I've been here, my last 5 kids have
been diagnosed with asthma. My 5 yr. old can't breathe at night. My
other 4 wheeze. My 17 yr old has all kinds of stomach problems, she
gets diarrhea a lot, and thinks it's a social problem. My 11 yr. old
coughs and feels sick, while visiting (he lives with his father.) My 5
yr old just had an ultrasound for 2 urinary tract infection within a
month, they found ecoli in the culture. I've had headaches everyday for
over 3 months, last year I suffered bloody noses. These headaches
rarely go away with Excedrin migraine, Motrin, Motrin migraine, you name
it, I've done it. My question is, could this be related to the super
mould in my basement? My basement is covered. Everything I stored down
there when I moved in is completely covered. My whole apt. is damp
constantly. What can I do? Thank you,
A.
All of the mould health symptoms that your family is suffering are
possible health consequences of living in a place that is mould
contaminated. Most landlords will not spend money to test apartments for
mould or to remove dangerous mould from apartments. Because of the severe
health damage being suffered by your family and because of the
uncooperative landlord attitude, your best strategy is to find a
mould-free place to live and get out of your present apartment as soon as
you possibly can. Alternatively, seek out a legal aid society attorney
to go after your landlord [e.g., sue] for failing to provide a habitable
apartment and for the health damage to your family.
Q.
On or about June 9, 2000, our condominium was partially destroyed by
fire. Most of the damage was do to water and smoke. The unit is a two
story condo and had recently been completely renovated including top of
the line Berber carpet. There were approximately 25,000 gallons of water
poured through the unit. The unit was condemned due to structural
damage. The unit basked in 100 degree heat for a week before we were
allowed back in to salvage. At this time mould and mildew had overtaken
the unit also the sewer backed up into the first floor in the bathroom,
kitchen, hallway, and laundry room. This all remained this way until the
23,of August,2000 or approx. 90 days. The second floor was still soaked
from the water, (made squishing sounds when you walked on it) When the
rebuilt they did not replace the sub-flooring or the floor joists on the
second floor. Of course they are now buckling and stretching . Now the
real problem. Both my son and wife and myself seem to be sick all of the
time since we moved back in to the unit in Dec., 2000. My son and wife
have been the most affected because they are home most of the time,
however I experience the same sinus discomfort when I am at home. We
have found large areas of mould in the guest bath. Clusters of black
mould all behind the shower walls. It was first noticed when the black
mould began growing out from behind the shower walls within a month after
we moved back in. We are very concerned about our 4 1/2 year old son. He
has the sinus congestion, shiners under the eyes, fever that comes and
goes, seems to have to vomit three or four times a month. and now all
three of us have been experiencing blood in the sinuses. We are very
concerned we all have trouble sleeping , heavy congestion in the chest
and constant coughing through the night are most of the problems. Any
information you could provide us with would be greatly appreciated .
[Aug. 16, 2001]
A.
Move immediately out of the house into temporary living quarters
elsewhere! Do extensive testing of the mould by lift tapes and mould test
kits. You need to know
whether your home has highly dangerous moulds such as Stachybotrys, penicillium,
and Aspergillus. You will need to inspect for, test, remove mould
completely, and then re-test for a mould-free condition before you move
back in. If you are unable to move elsewhere on a temporary basis, then
immediately purchase a Sun Pure Ultraviolet, Six Step Air Purifier ($595)
that will kill and mould spores, germs, viruses, and bacteria in the
indoor air of your home 24 hours per day to give you time to do your
testing and mould removal.
[Aug. 15, 2001]
Q.
WE AND SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS HAVE BOUGHT NEW TOWNHOUSE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO.
SINCE THIS TIME WE HAVE HAD STANDING WATER FROM MARCH TILL MAY, WE TRIED
TO GET THE BUILDER TO RESPOND. I DID RESPOND TO ONE OWNER BECAUSE THERE
SON HAD ASTHMA. SO IN RETURN HE DID PUT A SUMP PUMP IN ALL UNITS. SOME OF
THE WORK WAS NOT CORRECTLY DONE AND STILL LEFT STANDING WATER. SPRAYED
CHLORINE TO SAVE COST. SINCE AFTER SPRAYING THE CHLORINE THE MOULD HAS COME
BACK. THE BUILDER DID GET AN OPINION AND HAVEN'T NOTIFIED THE OWNERS ON
THE LEVELS OF MOULD. BUT ONE OF THE OWNERS DID GET SOME INFO MOST UNITS HAD
PENICILLIUM BUT OF LEVELS 0F 3,000 CFU (COLONY FORMING UNITS) TO 300,000.
OUR UNIT HAS THE
HIGHEST. WE PRESSURED THE BUILDER AND AT TIME HE MADE THREATS .IN THE PAST
WEEK AFTER THE NEWS EXPOSER HE HAS BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE. HE IS NOT FIXING
THE PROBLEM BUT PUTTING A BAND AID ON EVERYTHING. HE IS IN THE PROGRESS OF
FIXING BUT HASN'T GOTTEN RID OF THE MOISTURE FIRST. SO THIS WILL BE A
PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE.
WERE HOPING HE WILL BUY
OUR PLACE BACK.
A.
You need to hire an attorney [on a contingency basis in which the attorney
gets paid by a percentage of what he or she is able to collect on your
behalf from the landlord] to pursue your legal rights against this bad
landlord.
[July 25,
2001]
Q.
Oct.'99 we noticed water on bathroom floor and decided that it may be from
the grandkids staying with us. We let this problem go because of all the
holidays coming up. It got worse., Jan.11, 2000 we notified Ins. Co. to
come investigate our water problem as the water leak is now showing on the
carpet along the base-board in living room and two bedrooms (a 1 story
home-slab). He came pulled the carpet in bedroom and said it was very
moldy. Not knowing anything about mould we waited patiently to see what
they, Ins. Co. would do to help us.
In the meantime our dog died of lung and breast cancer, grandson bleeding
of the nose daily and nightly. daughter and son-in-law with stomach
problems and respiratory. My husband and I having skin rashes, respiratory
problems, forgetfulness, sores on face and arms, scalp rashes and sores,
kidney and bladder infections that won't go away and husband with a blood
disease called hemochromatosis. After almost 5 months going through plumbers, engineers
etc. and constantly informing [company name], sub-contractors for Ins Co.
that something in the house was making us real sick they finally did an
A.Q.T. [Air Quality Test] and found that our home had been invaded by all
kinds of toxic moulds, and advised us to leave. It has been hell. I only
hope insurance co. take this problem more seriously than they do. Peoples lives
depend on them.
A.
If you have any problems collecting from your insurance company, you need
to hire a public insurance adjuster who works solely on your behalf
against the insurance company and on a commission basis [you pay only out
of money actually collected form the insurance company]. Or,
alternatively, hire an attorney who specializes in collecting from
insurance companies.
[July
25, 2001]
Q.
We purchased home 3/2001 in Peru, Indiana. Saturday, after being out
of town for two days, returned home to find entire basement, eastside
ground level 1/2 mile from river, consumed in black mould. Single,
widow with two teenagers, no money and need help. Have notified real
estate agent, previous owners and my insurance to no avail. No
assistance forthcoming in helping me resolve this so I don't lose my home
or jeopardize my children's health. Any information so appreciated,
particularly about financial assistance and resolution.
A.
To learn do it yourself mould testing techniques, please visit: Mould
Testing. For do it yourself mould removal techniques, please visit:
Mould Removal.
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