Q & A page

(Q) I dont see mold. Should I be concerned?
(A) All Homes Have Mold. . Even if your home looks clean, chances are good you've got mold, often at levels high enough to trigger allergy and asthma attacks. In many cases, you won't even see it, as it grows between the walls and in hidden places - This is one of the biggest problems. . .That bit of dour news comes courtesy of a new university research study that also found the mold is frequently in areas most people don't associate with it -- windowsills, for instance. After surveying 160 homes in seven U.S. cities, Kelly A. Reynolds of the University of Arizona, Tucson, found that 100 percent of the homes tested positive for mold on some inside surface. The discovered molds were all highly allergenic molds. The worst mold problems are often the ones you don't see because of hidden mold growth INSIDE walls, floors, ceilings, attics, crawl spaces, basements, and heating/cooling equipment and ducts

(Q) Mold does not cause any bad health problems, right? (A) Toxic black mold and fungi problems can cause severe health problems and mold illness such as birth defects, miscarriages, headaches, memory loss, destruction of brain tissue, cancer, allergic reactions, loss of hair, skin disease, open skin sores, skin rashes, skin lacerations, fungal infections, chronic sinusitis, sinus problems, allergies to mold, lung diseases [like Aspergilliosis], and other respiratory illnesses, mold induced infections, and even death. Many asthmatics are sensitive to airborne molds rather than to pollens or animal dander, according to an epidemiological survey published in the Aug. 24, 2002, issue of the British Medical Journal

(Q) Once we stop the water leak will the mold go away?
(A) If deprived of water, dormant mold fungi can survive without air, food, and water for millions of years in a hostile environment waiting for moisture or water and food to restart and to spread mold sickness and illness, toxic mold spores, mold growth, mold infestation and contamination. Mold does NOT need air or light to reproduce and to grow. Toxic mold grows well in both hot and cold climates [such as Alaska and Canada], and up to 6 miles high. Mold must be killed and removed.

(Q) How does mold growth get started?
(A) Mold fungi grows well in homes, condominiums, apartments, offices, and other work places and buildings because most property owners and managers do NOT properly maintain building roofs; exterior siding; windows; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning [hvac] equipment and ducts; and plumbing fixtures, water lines, and sewer lines to prevent water intrusion, and/ or they fail to quickly find, detect, search for, and repair water plumbing problems such as water leaks, water and sewer breaks, broken water and sewer lines, dripping water, running water, flooding, flood damage, and other water, moisture, humidity, sewer, mold damage problems, black mold infestation, and toxic mold contamination. One square foot of moldy drywall can harbor more than 300 million mold spores. Airborne mold spores from live indoor plants can travel in air currents to cause health problems for occupants and possible mold growth in the home through mold cross-contamination.

(A) Bleach will clean some of the mold that it comes into contact with. This is the problem. It only kills some of the mold. After cleaning most of the mold spores are left behind to recontaminate the area. One mold spore can multiply and cover an area of 4 sq ft in only 48 hours. Bleach is not recommended by the EPA for cleaning mold. The second problem with trying to clean mold using bleach is that you only reach the surface of the mold. Mold is always growing inside the wall, above the ceiling, inside the wood and most of all it is in the air you are breathing. Cleaning with bleach does not effect these areas. Even if you kill mold the dead spores continue to cause health problems, many times they become more toxic when dead.

(A) There is no one answer. Some toxic mold problems have been resolved for only a few hundred dollars, others have cost thousands. It depends upon your case. The type of mold. Where it is located. The amount of area effected. The damage caused thus far by the mold.

(Q) What are the proven health effects of mold?
(A) The top mold health symptoms are the following [you may experience one or more]---
a memory loss or memory difficulties/Alzheimers-like symptoms
a learning difficulties or mental functioning problems
a feeling lost or "disconnected" from what's happening around you
a headaches
a seizures
a runny nose (rhinitis)
a clear, thin, watery mucus from your nose may appear suddenly
a sinus congestion and sinus problems
a thick, green slime coming out of nose (from sinus cavities)
a coughing and resulting sore lungs/chest from excessive coughing
a coughing up blood
a bleeding lungs
a difficulty breathing
a hives
a itching of the nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin, or any area
a redness of the sclera (white of your eyes)
a skin rashes
a skin redness
a open skin sores and lacerations
a sneezing
a sneezing fits (more than three sneezes in a row, happening often)
a vomiting
a diarrhea
a chronic, excessive, or continued fatigue
a chronic dandruff problems that don't go away