[boomop1]

This will be traced back to some government regulation mandating insulation requirements.

[quark]

"You can see mucosal bleeding, like bleeding from the nose and the ears, you can see hair loss, and there are some individuals that feel cognitive dysfunction or the inability to think..."

Now I know what happened to James "Dung Beetle" Carville!

[Restorer]

This just happens to be my field. A typically poorly--researched article.

If you see mold in your home, everyone agrees you should get rid of it. But experts say in most cases there is no need to have expensive mold remediation done. They advise homeowners to stop the water intrusion and to simply clean up the mold with a little bleach.

True, but misleadingly incomplete. The time to prevent mold problems is before the mold growth occurs. That means any moisture intrusion event should be treated with the same sense of urgency as a fire. Modern structures seldom dry out by themselves. Professional, expert, aggressive restorative drying is required. Just stopping additional intrusion is not at all adequate.

Biocides such as bleach are not effective at eliminating mold problems.

If it has spread, experts advise homeowners to replace moldy building materials like Sheetrock.

Improperly performed removal of moldy materials can make the problem MUCH worse.

It's also important to note that not all black-colored mold is Stachybotrys chartarum.

True. And there are a great many toxigenic molds. Stachybotrys is only one of them, and not necessarily the most potentially hazardous.

[jdontom]

While there's no evidence toxic mold in the home is deadly — there is increasing debate about how dangerous it might be — and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding a study of mold's health effects.

I am not an expert on mold but the phrase *toxic* mold was invented by lawyers and passed on to the media. I've heard the horror stories here in Sacramento about sick people. The majority of these homes are ready for demolition anyway and are unkept and filthy, usually rentals. Could the fault be in the housekeeping, I don't know....

[IronJack]

So we're supposed to believe that this mold causes

• respiratory problems
  
• mucosal bleeding
  
• cognitive dysfunction
  
• hearing loss
  
• allergic reactions
  
• fatigue
  
• joint pain
  
• headaches

Did I miss anything? Halitosis? Embarrassing rectal itch? Heartbreak of psoriasis? Webbed toes?

This reminds me of Gulf War Syndrome, which is apparently what caused anyone who ever set foot in the Persian Gulf during the early years of the 1990's to develop any affliction whatsoever.

[SBprone]

There's an interesting show on the Home & Garden channel called "Liquid Design." It features homes built around exotic water features such as man-made waterfalls, rooftop pools and indoor/outdoor pools. I find it fascinating to see wacky rich people and their architects play chicken with nature. They're fooling with the single greatest threat to human habitation: WATER.

Once uncontrolled water arrives in your home a host of destructive problem will develop, and black algae is only one of them.

[slimer]

Some say mold fear is being whipped up by lawyers and mold cleanup companies eager to turn mold into gold.

BINGO! Like lead paint in the seventies and asbestos in the eighties, mold is the cash crop of this decade. Government and industries are whipping this up into the "Mold Rush".

On the large scale, they will condemn buildings rendering them worthless thus lowering property values and then the high rollers will scoop up the lots for pennies on a dollar. Shark investors are on the prowl for properties and they will steal it by selling the idea of "THE KILLER MOLD".

On the smaller scale, mold that can easily and relatively inexpensively removed, will require "LICENSED PROFESSIONALS" to meet strict building and health codes. In other words, home owners and especially rental property owners, will not be permitted to "do it themselves". They will have to hire "THE PROFESSIONALS" and THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!

If you want in on the action, shell out some cash, sign up for the classes and get that certificate. It's a happening thing! - AND A TOTAL CROCK OF $#!+.

Hey, I forgot to mention the lawyers but that's a whole nother story.

[friendly]

Sorry guys and gals but this new "black mold plague" is a humongous piece of happy horsewaste fiction created by the corrupt lawyer industry. This is pure Junk Science but is of course a gold mine for these vermin.

[DCPatriot]

This is nothing more than a follow-up to the "Lead-Based Paint" scam, which was preceded by the "Radon Gas" scam.

God, how I hate lawyers.

[RichardW]

This whole business is part of the lawyer's full employment act. The homeowners are being fleeced to pay for this non-existant problem. I'm paying four times what I paid in Missouri. This is the same old mold that has been around for decades. Mass hysteria and lawyers getting rich.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Minutemen]

Black Mold: The New Infirmity for the New Millineum.
Burn down your house now!

[CWRWinger]

Black mold. Its technical name is Stachybotrys chartarum — stachy for short

Give it to some libertairians and they'll figure out a way to smoke it.

[PoorMuttly]

I hear Black Mold is great on toast, once you get the sheetrock off it. I think the British call it Marmite.

[sit-rep]

I make a lot of money going in and gutting homes that are quite "bad".

Black mold has a white ring around its outer circle. Mildew, is very often mistakin for black mold. I know the difference...do I tell my customers that it's only mildew?? Not on your life. Infact, I generally add a zero when it's mistakingly diagnosed a black mold situation.

I never got sick. I smoke cigarrettes and drink a pot of coffee a day...so if there ever is a respitory problem, what caused it?

If you do have black mold, rip out the dry wall, saturate the studs with bleach(two coats), put new board up. You'll be just fine.

JMHO

SR

[dennisw]

You can get an ozone lamp you put in your A/C ducts. Will kill all mold in the ducts at least and help clean the air in the house.

[jwh_Denver]

One of our local TV stations did a special on this problem of mold in newer homes here in the Denver metro area. From the outside and inside the homes looked fine but inside the walls mold had gotten in and rotted the wood so bad it could be crumbled in someone's hands. It was said that thousands of homes have this problem but no mention of anybody getting sick from it. From what I could see the problem was shoddy workmanship (Naw, No way!). As the house was being completed the outside had wire mesh which would be covered with some kind of covering which if it wasn't put on with care would allow water to leak inside the walls and thus begin the mold problem.

[Ditter]

We just sold our bay house because of toxic mold. After getting all the figures, we found the remediation & build back would cost more that the structure was worth. We were preparing to have it torn down when we got an offer. The man plans on repairing it.

The mold made me sick. Horrible headaches, recurring infections etc. My husband was not affected by it. The insurance paid us less than half of what it would cost to fix it. I am sad that we no longer own it but relieved that we don't have to worry about what to do with it. It was very distressing.

[sneakypete]

I don't know about all the claims being made,but I do know I damn near died two years ago from inhaling mold while remodeling my home,and I STILL have trouble breathing. I had been cutting out and replacing rotten siding and subfloor,and came in the house that evening to rest. I say in my recliner chair,and it was two days before I could get out of it. Every time I would "wake up" and try to get out of the chair,the exertion made me lose all my "wind",and I'd black out again. I even managed to quit smoking after being a 2+ pack a day smoker for about 40 years. I didn't even have enough "wind" to inhale a cigarette. I went for well over a year not being able to walk from the house to the truck without having to go to my knees and gasp for breath at least once. I am only marginally better now,and am to the point where I don't think I will ever again be "well".

My advise to all of you is to do whatever you can to avoid breathing mold dust.

[finnman69]

I'm an architect, and as a licensed architect and a member of the American Institue of Architects I must attend classes, lectures and seminars to maintain my continuing education credits. I would say that in the last 2 years, 80% of my credits have in some way addressed mold and the prevention of mold. In one recent lecture a contractor brought up that mold IS a serious and dangerous problem. One of his carpenters was installing new baseboard and in the process, touched a contaminated area. Apparently the man touched his face after because he eventually lost half of it to a face eating mold that devoured his skin.

Mold is no joke.

The primary cause of mold is moisture getting inside your house and inadequate ventilation to deal with the moisture getting out. The top priority should be to keep moisture out of the house. Grade outside of homes should be sloped away from foundation walls, gravel should be properly placed, drains located, eaves and overhangs incorporated into homes, and proper vapor barriers specified. If cracks in basement foundation walls are not properly sealed, moisture will infiltrate your house.

Much moisture in homes also is formed directly from human activity such as showering and cooking. Cooking and showering deposits several pints of water a day into the atmosphere of your home.

Due to natural thermodynamics, in the summer warm humid air outside a home tends to condense in wall cavities when it hits the cooler dryer interior portions of walls. In the winter the reverse is true. This is why good insulation in walls and ceilings is imperative. More importantly, vapor barriers or mold resistant drywall should be utilized on surfaces suceptible to mold growth.

Without water, mold cannot grow. And remember, mold needs a food source. Wood and the paper found on most drywall is the perfect food medium when combined with water.

Most importantly, keep the water out. The number one problem in homes is water or moisture related.