subject: Understanding Mold in Your Home - Not What You Think! [print this page] There still seems to be so much confusion about mold. What it is, where it grows, what can it do to me? I'd like to take this time to de-mystify this misunderstood this relatively minor annoyance. Over the last 19 years, I've inspected hundreds of homes with varying degrees of mold but, first let's give you a brief overview of this unwanted visitor to our lives.
Basically there are two categories of mold. Allergenic and toxic. Allergenic molds can affect you if you have a specific allergy to that particular type of mold. 75% of all mold fall into this category. Toxic molds, on the other hand, the type that the media talks about continuously, will most likely affect everyone through prolonged exposure. All molds will affect people such as the elderly, infants, people with allergies, and people who may have a compromised immune system.
There is always mold in the air. What we don't want is a disproportionate amount on the inside of your home. We test this through air samples of both the inside and outside. This gives us a baseline measurement to determine what we are dealing with.
Yes, it is true that mold has been around us for thousands of years however, today's lifestyle and construction methods have increased the likelihood that we may be living in a home environment that is conducive to mold growth. Things like newer homes with state of the art construction methods. You would think that a newer home would be free of things like mold however, in some cases it is just the opposite. Growing up, we lived in an old, drafty home with unsealed windows and doors, no insulation and drafts that seem to come in from everywhere. Today's homes are built as tight as a drum. Double hung (and sometimes triple) pane windows. Tightly sealed doors and windows, insulated walls and ceilings. This is all great to keep energy costs down. Not so good in keeping mold at bay. Basically, mold need two things to grow; moisture and something to grow on. As we hermetically seal up our homes, we trap all the moisture on the inside and never let our homes "breathe". This the perfect environment for mold growth.
Next time I'll talk about some of the symptoms of a mold allergy along with things that you can do around your home to stave off excessive mold growth. I will also talk about some of the extreme cases I've come across over the years and what caused them. From loss of memory to bleeding ears. In extreme cases, mold can be a significant health hazard.
For more information on mold, go to the mold section of my website here
Michael Boeger is the owner and operator of Equity Building Inspection. His company performs home and buildling inspections along with mold consulting and testing throughout the greater Los Angeles area and can reached at 310-540-0200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 310-540-0200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or at equityinspection.com.
Understanding Mold in Your Home - Not What You Think!
