Top ten toxic mold mistakes

Know the symptoms, hidden hazards and effective methods to eliminate toxic mold.

Dateline: Friday, January 28, 2005

from DangerBusters , Vancouver BC

DangerBusters warns homeowners to avoid the top ten toxic mold mistakes, all of which are frequently made in toxic mold inspection, testing, and remediation.


Ignoring possible toxic mold health symptoms being experienced by one or more residents or co-workers. Think "mold" if occupants experience unexplained health problems like ongoing itchy eyes, bloody nose, sinus problems, headaches, nose congestion, runny nose, skin rashes, skin sores, coughing, breathing difficulties, memory problems, feeling disconnected, chronic fatigue, and many other mold symptoms.

Inspect your home and workplace regularly for roof leaks, plumbing leaks, water damage, mold smells, visible mold growth, or high humidity.

Not realizing that perhaps only one or a few occupants may experience toxic mold health symptoms, while others may have none, with all living or working in the same mold-infested area. People differ significantly in their sensitivity and body reaction to mold.

Not inspecting for mold maintenance problems and toxic mold clues. Inspect your home and workplace regularly for roof leaks, plumbing leaks, water damage, mold smells, visible mold growth, high humidity [above 50 to 60 percent], and a wet or damp basement, crawl space, or attic.

Assuming there is no toxic mold problem if there is no visible mold. The worst mold infestation problems are often the ones you cannot see inside floors, ceilings, walls, basement, attic, crawl space, and the heating/cooling equipment and ducts. In addition, airborne mold spores are invisible to the eye.

Not knowing that new homes and workplaces often have built-in toxic mold infestation from moldy building materials; no builder mold inspection during construction; storing materials on the ground or during construction with no protection against rain, high humidity and ground moisture; and no application of a fungicidal coating to wood building materials.

Believing that simply drying wet building materials is enough. If toxic mold spores and mold colony growths run out of moisture, they do not die. Instead, mold becomes dormant, patiently waiting for high humidity or a future water leak to resume mold growth. Even dormant mold and its smell can make some mold-sensitive persons sick.

Not realizing that bleach is ineffective to kill toxic mold on and in porous surfaces like building materials. In addition, bleach is not an EPA-registered fungicide. Find out much more about why bleach is inappropriate for mold remediation at the url below. {K note:how about H202?]

Using other ineffective products to kill toxic mold – such as paint primers that hide water stains but are inappropriate for mold remediation, regular paint (which mold eats as a snack food), paint containing a mildicide (if used as the sole mold remediation treatment), ammonia, and most other household cleaners and disinfectants.

Thinking that just spraying something on the toxic mold will take care of the problem. You need to both kill all visible toxic mold growth and invisible mold spores encountered in mold remediation, and remove and discard the mold-damaged building materials. In addition the mold remediation area needs to be protected with a fungicidal coating.

Not understanding that many mold remediation contractors' efforts fail because of: (a) failure to find and fix all of the hidden toxic mold infestation locations in a home or workplace due to incomplete and unprofessional mold inspection and mold testing; (b) inadequate worker training; (c) not using effective mold containment procedures and mold remediation techniques; (d) taking shortcuts; and (e) sometimes fraud and dishonesty.

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K - That from a service industry, so we don't know about their view of fungicides and other toxins. But, the info on moulds is good to have. This is a much more dangerous problem than it was before, but I do not know why - is there more moulds [due to closed in buildings], or has the moulds themselves changed?

http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewConsForum5.cfm?REF=6