Fear of Mold - Mycophobia - Can Lead to Unnecessary Expense
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Fear of indoor mold & mold contamination: this article discusses mycophobia - fear of mold and its effects on individual health, stress, and expenses.
We live in a sea of mold, and other stuff in the air we breathe, on cushions
we sit on, clothes we wear, pools we swim-in, and so on.
Most mold is not
hurting anyone, and some of it makes us well when we're sick (Penicillium notatum, for example).
Nevertheless, a combination of mold allergies and asthma sensitivities of some individuals mean that the exposure of some individuals to mold in buildings can be quite serious.
More details about mold related illness, building related illness, and what to do about mold in buildings can be read in the articles listed below.
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- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
What is Mycophobia and What Causes Fear of Mold? When is Mold Fear Justified?
A healthy person walking through a room of moldy air is not likely to die or even get very sick from mold exposure.
On the other hand, nearly 30 years of field and lab investigations of buildings with environmental illness and occupant health complaints
has provided a wealth of less rigorous empirical data matching occupant
complaints with indoor mold and allergens, particularly where there is chronic exposure to problematic mold.
Some people may have a genetic predisposition to mold related illness just as some do to allergies and many other health issues.
Short term very high exposure to toxic mold (one client killed her dogs by tearing down moldy drywall), or for people who are particularly sensitive or vulnerable, protracted toxic or allergenic mold exposure, even at what we consider rather low levels, can be a serious problem.
It's probably an overstatement by some experts who assert that "... there are no proven links between mold and illness."
Comparing the Appearance of Cosmetic Mold versus Potentially Harmful Mold
Black mold on this building floor framing [photo above] had so frightened the building owner that he had scheduled a $685,000. building demolition
and re-framing project - an expense which was completely unnecessary.
First, if this had been a problem mold it could have been
cleaned from these framing surfaces.
Second, our test showed that the scary-looking black mold on this framing was a member of the Ceratocystis/Ophistoma group of blue-stain fungi which often is found on framing lumber.
This is only a cosmetic mold, which is not harmful to humans nor to the lumber.
But although the visible mold was Stachybotrys chartarum and Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Ulocladium on these walls, the airborne and dust mold levels
were dominated by Aspergillus sp. which was not so easy to see by visual inspection.
The Aspergillus reservoir in this building was in the fiberglass insulation in several areas.
While large areas of problem mold indeed need proper cleanup,
fear of mold (mycophobia) and in our opinion
the ENVIRO-SCARE - PUBLIC FEAR CYCLES which in some cases (such as the moldy framing shown at left) risks leading to price gouging of consumers.
Mold Allergies and Mold Exposure Impact on People with Mold Allergy or Asthma: common, can be serious
Kopf and Fillhart reported that the focus of indoor mold contamination investigation strategies, a procedure that usually focuses on water-intrusion-related molds in buildings and perceived health risks to occupants should consider re-focusing their attention to include mold as a cause of [or trigger for or contributor to] allergies. Both water intrusion-related mold species and [many] other mold species may be allergenic. [1]
In fact the authors agree that building occupant complaints of allergic reactions to buildings and the experience of asthma attacks in buildings are the instigators for mold investigations in many cases. 3 to 10 percent of people suffer from mold allergies [2] or from mold-related asthma attacks [4]. Interesting in Kopf/Fillhart's report is that they point out that
Reactions to mold, including water intrusion species considered to be the most dangerous, are limited to rhinitis or asthma in most individuals who are allergic.[3] ... Allergic individuals may respond to airborne spores of water intrusion species in a manner that is indistinguishable from other molds.
The authors continue to point out that individual health risks from mold exposure cannot be stated precisely from airborne mold levels, and they add that in some circumstances certain molds can produce high levels of mycotoxins.
That is consistent with our own field and lab experience. The same fungus, growing on two different substrates, can behave quite differently.
The authors also note, and we agree emphatically, that [for these reasons] a building can have a water-intrusion mold problem even though its occupants are asymptomatic.
In our own experience as a field and laboratory investigator of indoor air quality & mold related health complaints there is no question that we have encountered
occasional individuals who were highly sensitive to very low levels of airborne Aspergillus sp. in homes, at less than 500 spores/M3 of air
occasional individual whose mold-exposure symptoms included skin irritation, hives-like response, particularly in homes where Stachybotrys chartarum was disturbed by demolition and sent airborne at high levels - a condition that is not normal for this sticky, large spore
individuals in whom a very severe asthma attack was triggered by mold exposure - this symptom has been observed to increase in severity and in sensitivity in individuals who are either chronically exposed to airborne mold of a variety of species at moderate but higher than outdoor levels, or who suffer one or more individual exposures to very high concentrations of indoor mold
More significantly, airborne levels of mold spores produced the same fungus, Aspergillus sp., for example, growing in the same building on the same surface, vary enormously from time to time as a function of
changes in the indoor environment such as in temperature and moisture level
mechanical disturbance such as during demolition or cleaning efforts, or by the operation of a building HVAC system, fans, or even local dehumidifiers or heaters.
Making a series of airborne mold level measurements in a college library basement where we observed a very large reservoir of mold growing on books that had been exposed to high moisture and some wet conditions, it was Aspergillus sp., not Stachybotrys chartarum (both were present) that became airborne at very high levels after a mold remediator placed multiple commercial dehumidifiers into the space. It was quite apparent that the Aspergillus colony responded to the drop in humidity by releasing its spores.
Because of these variations, and because of variations in spore trap use and procedures among individuals, we argue at AIRBORNE MOLD SPORE COUNT ACCURACY that reliance on air tests of spore levels, used alone to characterize mold exposure risk in a building is so unreliable as to be nonsensical in the case of apparently-negative mold test results.
What to Do About Mold and Other Indoor Environment Worries
Action:The Mold Action Guide - will help you discover if you have a costly mold problem or not.
FIBERGLASS HAZARDSbuilding insulation and HVAC duct work insulation hazards
Frequently Asked Questions About Mold -- check this FAQ list to see if you can find a quick answer to your mold concern
Gas Sampling Plan for Residential Buildings lists a number of toxic indoor gases which we test for, depending on the building complaint and building conditions
Harmful mold:An Online Mold Atlas of Indoor Clinical Mold - Medical Health Effects of Specific Molds found in environmental or pathological samples
Harmful mold: clinical reference books for mold related illness
Harmful mold: Mold Classes & Classes of Mold-Related Illness - some simple categories
Illness, Mold Related: Symptoms List both medical diagnoses and individual complaints
Investigators, professional mold: When do I need to hire a professional?
Looking for Mold: Mold Risk Levels in Buildings: Based on Visual Inspection.
Other environmental risks: Asbestos, carbon monoxide, electromagnetic fields, environmental illness, fiberglass, MCS - multiple chemical sensitivity, toxic gases, etc
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Pet control - if you can't say goodbye to your bird, cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, tropical fish, then limit the
areas they occupy and limit the airflow from that area to sleeping or other areas of the building, use allergenic
bedding, eliminate wall-to-wall carpeting, improve housecleaning including use of a HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner. For more details
see our article Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Information for Asthmatics and Indoor Air Quality
Sewage and Septic backup contamination in buildings: inspection, testing, remediation, & references to expert sources
Bibliography of Extensive Mold and IAQ Technical References
Identifying Filamentous Fungi, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-Germain, Richard Summerbell, Star Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-89863-177-7
Fundamentals of Diagnostic Mycology, F. Fisher, N.Cook, W.B. Saunders, 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6
Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., G.S. de Hoog, J. Guarro, J. Gene & M.J. Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2000 ISBN 90-70351-43-9.
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
[1] "Consider Allergies in Mold Investigations", Richard F. Kopp & Ronald C. Fillhart, The Synergist, July 2004, The American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2700 Prosperity Ave., Suite 250, Fairfax VA 22031, 703-849-8888, Email: synergist@aiha.org
[5] "Mycotoxin production by indoor molds.", K.F. Nielsen, Fungal Genet Biol 39:103-117, 2003
[6] "Isolation and identification of Aspergillus fumigatus mytoxins on growth medium and some building materials", S.M. Nieminen, R. Karki, S. Auriola, M. Toviola, H. Laatsch, R. Laatikainen, et als., Appl Environ Microbiol 68: 4871-4875, 2002
[7] "Stachylysin may be a cause of hemorrhaging in humans exposed to Stachybotrys chartarum", S.J. Vesper & M.J. Vesper, Infect Immun 70:2065-2069, 2002
[8] "Indoor health: background levels of fungi", R.E. Gots, N.J. Layton, S.W. Pirages, Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 64:427-438, 2003
[9] "Fungal fragments as indoor air biocontaminants", R.L. Gorny, T. Reponen, K. Willeke, D. Schmechel, E. Robine, M. Boissier, et al., Appl Environ Microbiol 68:3522-3531, 2002
Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., GS deHoog, J Guarro, J Gene, & MJ Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, 2000, ISBN 90-70351-43-9
Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
Fungi, Identifying Filamentous, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-Germain, Richard Summerbell, Star Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-89863-177-7 (English)
In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.