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For
mold inspection,
mold remediation, and
mold prevention for your real estate property anywhere in the world,
please contact
mold consultants Phillip Fry and Divine Montero by email
manager@moldinspector.com or by phone 1-480-310-7970.
15 Mold Facts for Homeowners,
Landlords, Tenants, & Employers
by Phillip Fry,
mold
consultant, Certified Environmental Hygienist, Certified Mold
Inspector, & Certified Mold Remediator, Jan. 30, 2012
1. What is Mold?
Mold is a
fungus---a parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll, a rigid cell
wall, leaves, true stems and roots. Mold is multicellular, and it is
composed of thread-like hyphae.
Mold
is a very large group of microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal
matter. Most are filamentous organisms and produce spores [for
reproduction] that can
travel in the air and water, or be carried by insects, birds, dogs,
cats, and other animals.
2. Airborne mold spores are
everywhere both indoors and outdoors. Resident and employee health is at
serious risk if there are elevated levels of mold spores indoors, as
compared to an outdoor mold control test, or in high indoor levels
regardless of outdoor mold counts.
3.
Molds of all species and colors are
dangerous environmental health predators of humans, animals, and plants.
4. The most dangerous indoor molds are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium,
Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys. Mold
sampling and mold lab
analysis are required to identify specific mold species.
5. Molds spores can cause serious health problems
even if the spores are dead or
dormant (inactive while waiting for more moisture to resume growth). Even
the smell of
dead or dormant mold can make some mold-sensitive persons ill. There are
no legal mold exposure limits. Read the
Mold Health Guide,
$15, to learn all about mold health.
6.
There are no absolute levels of safe or
unsafe mold infestation inside a home or other
building. Because of the huge discrepancies person to person in mold
sensitivity, what might
be a harmless amount of mold exposure to one occupant can be devastating
health-wise to another person. Usually, mold infestation is considered to
be elevated if indoor mold samples show higher mold counts and more mold
species indoors than in an outdoor mold control test. Mold infestation
usually affects first and most strongly pregnant ladies [and their unborn
babies], infants, elderly, and persons with immune system problems. But
day in and day out, cumulative exposure to mold infestation can make
healthy adults quite sick.
7.
It is impossible to get rid of all mold
spores indoors. Some mold spores will always be present in house dust
and floating in the air. What is important is to minimize the level of
indoor airborne mold spores in the breathing air and eliminate
air
conditioning mold and all mold colony growth whether visible or
hidden inside walls, ceilings, floors, crawl spaces, basements, attics,
or heating/cooling, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment
and ducts.
8. The mold spores will not grow into mold
colonies if there is insufficient moisture. Indoor mold growth can and
should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If
organic materials are wet for more than 24 hours, mold
9.
Mold
grows by eating and destroying organic building materials and other
cellulose-based materials such as carpeting, upholstery, and clothing. The
longer that mold grows,
the more mold damage to the building. growth can begin.
10. Cellulose is the main
substance in the cell walls of plants (and thus of wood), and it is used
in the manufacture of many organic building materials such as drywall,
plasterboard, plywood substitutes, and ceiling tiles.
11. Mold can grow hidden and undetected
inside wall and ceiling cavities; beneath wallpaper, paneling, and
carpeting; and inside heating and cooling equipment and ducts, attics,
crawl spaces, and basements. Learn how to find hidden mold growth by
reading
mold consultant Phillip Fry's in depth ebook Do It Best
Yourself Mold Inspection, Testing, Remediation, and Prevention,
only $15 from Mold
Mart.
12. Mold growth is often the
result of a structural or construction defect, or of maintenance
neglect, that allows moisture to enter the building, making a toxic mold
building or toxic mold house.
13. The owner or employer must first fix the water problem
(roof leak, plumbing leak, high indoor humidity) that enables the mold to
grow. Effective mold remediation requires killing the mold with a
mold home remedy recipe
or boric acid powder
in warm water or mold , and then
physically removing
the mold growth, and then re-treating the cleaned area with a mold home
remedy recipe or boric acid powder mold preventative. Read how about
do it yourself mold removal techniques.
14. Regular, preventive building maintenance to
find and fix water plumbing leaks, roof leaks, and other water intrusion
problems is the best way to prevent mold growth problems.
15. Be trained and certified as a
Certified Mold
Inspector and
Certified Mold
Remediator to make big money helping property owners in your area to
find and fix mold infestation problems.
For more mold information, please read these mold information pages:
[Home] [Up] [Masonry-Mold] [Katrina-Mold-Study] [Fraudulent-Mold-Health-Study] [Apartment-Toxic-Mold] [Ozone-Air-Purifiers] [Mold-Odor-Asthma] [Mold-Mushroom-Photo] [Mold-Sinus-Problems] [Dampness-Mold-Health] [Environmental-Mold-Home-Study] [Chronic-Sinusitis-Mold-Problem] [Alzheimer's & Mold] [Mold-Death] [Asthma & Mold] [Blood Testing] [Mold Headache] [Mold & Landscaping] [Household-Mold-Dangers] [Top-100-Mold-Health-Signs-&-Symptoms] [Mold-Health-Issues] [Scope-Of-Mold-Problem] [Mold Scientist] [Skin Diseases] [Stachybotrys Information] [Cold-or-Allergies] [Mold-Health-Effects] [Tsunami-Deadly-Fungal-Infection] [Mold-Birth-Defects] [Ten-Health-Symptoms] [Hypertension-High-Blood-Pressure] [Seasonal-Allergies] [Mold-Respiratory-Hazards] [Mold-Pregnancy] [Sinusitis-Mold-Growth] [Lung-Cancer-Mold] [Asthma-Mold] [Pet-Mold-Problem] [German-Mold-Research] [Fungal-Eye-Infection] [Mold-Causes-Depression] [Asthma-Cats-Alternia-Mold] [Fungal-Research] [Neuropsychological-Mold-Link] [Tornado Mold] [Tropical Mold Infections] [Sink Mold Sickness]
Western USA
Mold Inspection Websites
Las
Vegas Mold Inspection
Los
Angeles Mold Inspection
Mesa
Mold Inspection
Orange
County Mold Inspection
Phoenix
Mold Inspection
Sacramento
Mold Inspection
San
Diego Mold Inspection
San
Francisco Mold Inspection
San
Jose Mold Inspection
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