Do you have Toxic Molds like these in your Home? Wondering what to do now?

Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys mold Photographs courtesy of EMSL Analytical, Inc.

Toxic Mold Samples
Toxic Mold Information:Toxic molds such as penicillium, stachybotrys, cladosporium, aspergillus, and black mold can cause indoor air quality problems leading to allergies and sickness. Many times these problems are a result of airborne mycotoxins and mold spores. Toxic mold and black mold have become a huge problem for homeowners and insurance companies. One of the best ways to find out if your home has toxic mold or black mold is to have it tested. The are numerous toxic mold testing companies, that provide a wide range of results and solutions. The Toxic Mold Resource Center was created to help provide toxic mold information, solutions, news, and help.

 

1. Initial Identification - Mold, how do I know if I have it and what if I do?
If you have or had a water leak that went uncorrected for over 48 hours, chances are good that you have some type of mold. That in itself may not be that big of a deal but lets review the facts:
What are molds?
Mold a plant is a fungi that obtains nutrients from organic matter. They consist of long, highly branched thread-like linear groups of cells (hyphae) that intertwine to form the fungus body (mycelium). These threads can penetrate many materials but especially like common building materials such as drywall, wallboard, wallpaper and installation, all which contain organic materials that are good sources of nutrients. Molds generally require a water source, nutrients and an appropriate temperature for growth. Ok so what does that mean, well a water source of course can mean a water leak but how much? Not much, humidity levels of greater than 50% is considered to be a water source. A temperature of 40 to 100 degrees F is prime for mold growth. That basically means that anyone living in the Southern States are ripe for mold. If we are so ripe for mold growth and we know mold has been around from biblical days (See Leviticus 14:45) why is this such a problem now? Well, have you looked around outside lately. If you look closely you probably can't walk 100 yards without see some mold growth. So why isn't this a bigger problem? Here are a few reasons:
    1. There are thousands of molds and in most individuals the body's immune system easily discards them. Only a few have been determined to be toxic (see most common ones below)
    2. We most often encounter molds outside which of course is very well ventilated and therefore the amount of mold spores (the seeds of mold) you encounter is low.
    3. Older homes are generally not built as tight (i.e. less energy efficient, more cross ventilation) thereby drying up water leaks more quickly) Also see home builders Section
A little more on molds and then I will move on. We have established that molds need, water, organic matter (food) and that correct temperature to grow but how does it spread. Molds are plants and plants are designed like all living things to reproduce. Plants of course spread through the distribution of seeds. The seeds of mold are something called spores. Spores are so small it is not possible for the human eye to detect. For example, pull a hair off your head. Look at just the very tip of it and you are looking at something approximately 10 microns in size. Spores are roughly half of this size. They pretty much travel the same way dust travels and if you are like most of us we have dust in our homes (everywhere). That's not all, many toxic mold spores have a protective substance on it called mycotoxins. The job of mycotoxins is to protect the spore from other vegetation. And guess what, mycotoxins are also harmful in humans (big surprise huh). See health concerns for more information.
It has been my experience that the most common forms of the dreaded toxic mold variety have been:
    1. Stachybotrys
    2. Aspergillus
    3. Penicillum
There are more but these are the ones I keep hearing people deal with. Stachybotrys of course is the one with the most media hype about it lately (Black Mold). People who have been exposed to high level often see significant health problem. (Headaches, bloody noses, respiratory illnesses etc). Just as bad however are some species of Aspergillus and Penicillum. These too can cause immediate respiratory problems but perhaps even more serious is some species have been considered a carcinogen. In fact the mycotoxins of Aspergillus Flavus is considered to be one of the most potent carinogen known.
How do you find out if your mold is toxic?
The only way I know it to have it tested. The most definitive way is to have an Certified Industrial Hygienist take mold samples and it a matter of weeks they can identify what type of mold you have and what is the best way to rid your home of it. (See Environmental testing and selling you is home also). If you or you family have noticed health problems that even remotely could be a result of mold, this is the way to go. The down side is this testing is expensive, usually thousands of dollars for a detailed test. Another method albeit not as complete is to buy a self-testing kit. Mold testing companies, can set you up with a testing kit which basically allows you to take some tape samples which they will look on a high powered microscope to determine what type of mold you have. I look at this as a sanity check. If they test results show that you could have toxic mold then be prepared to move out of you home immediately if you haven't already (i.e. if you have health concerns, move out during the testing period). Then at least you know what you are dealing with.

2. Mold Testing - How do I find out if it is toxic?

At this point I am assuming that you either know you have mold (i.e. you can see it) or you highly suspect you have mold (i.e. you have mold illness symptoms) and you are ready to find out what is going on in your house. The standard operating procedure at this point is to hire a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) to come to your home and take several different types of mold samples. I can´t emphasis how important it is to find a CIH that you trust and this is not a time to hire a fly by night company. Although the sampling methods are really not that complex when you are talking about your family´s health this is no time for a half ass effort. If this is an insurance claim DO NOT LET THE INSURANCE COMPANY HIRE THIS COMPANY DIRECTLY. I will go into the reasons in the insurance section but basically there is a high potential that you will get screwed if you go this route. Anyway the point of any mold testing is to determine what type of mold you have, where is the main source or sources and how to get rid of it. Let´s begin:
Testing Methods
Basically the CIH is going to first try to find the source of the mold, its reservoir. Below is some of the more common tests performed:
    1. Swap Sample - A swap sample is basically taking a giant Q-Tip rubbing some mold on it and depositing the mold on to a petri dish. At this point the mold is grown which takes a couple of weeks and then the laboratory personnel determine what type of mold you have as well as what species of mold it is. For example they grow a mold and they discover it is Aspergillus. Great, Aspergillus has over 30 different species, some harmless and others very toxic. Without knowing they species it is really difficult to tell how harmful your mold could be. If any CIH tells you that this is not important, don´t hire him or her. Species is important.
    2. Air Samples - Generally the CIH will use an Air O Cell testing method, which is sort of, like hooking a vacuum cleaner to a filter. This vacuum sucks through the filter between 30 to 150 liters of air catching air particles in the its filter. The filter is then sent to a lab to determine what type of mold spores it caught. They will take samples throughout your home (i.e. in several rooms) and they will also take a couple of samples outside of your home. The outside samples are taken to determine the basic line of mold spores in your home. For example, if outside the Aspergillus count is 350 particles per cubic meter (ppcm) than if your home only has a problem if it is higher than that. What is high? They say anything over 1000 ppcm. In my home they found they found 16,000 ppcm but I have seen numbers much higher. The downside of this test is it does not allow for determining the species of your mold. This isn´t a tremendous problem if you know the source of the mold because you can species it there but if you don´t then I highly recommend the Anderson test. This test basically does the same thing however instead of using a Air O Cell filter they slam the spores caught in the air into a petri dish and let it grow like a swab sample so they can later determine the species.
    3. Tape Samples - Tape samples are just what it sounds like. The CIH will go around to different items in your home using the tape to lift dust and spores off of items in your home and then put in under a microscope to determine what type of mold you have. This is very important. It is not uncommon to find very few spores in the Air Samples but find high mold counts on your, carpet, furniture etc. This is basically because the spores have already settled (kind of like dust) on your stuff. This type of sampling is also critical for developing a remediation plan, which I will discuss in another section.
    4. Wall Cavity Samples - Often mold starts to live in your walls. Generally when the CIH doesn´t exactly know where the source is or believes there could be multiply sources then this type of sampling is employed. The CIH will use a moisture meter to find out where there are potential leaks behind walls. The meter will basically identify high moister areas and the CIH will drill a hole into the wall. The CIH will then take an air sample (see above) through the drilled hole. This method employs the Air O Cell method discussed above and again is limited regarding determining the species.
    5. Bulk Sample - A bulk sample is basically cutting out a contaminated portion of your home, bagging it and sending it to the lab for testing. The nice thing about this method is the lab doesn´t have to wait for the mold to grow to figure out what mold and mold species you have. It is common for the CIH to suspect that there is mold growing in the wall and decide to cut out a portion of the sheet rock to get a good feel for what it is. The bad side is if he or she finds a significant mold source, cutting into it and disturbing it sends thousands or millions of spores everywhere. (Bad answer) Ok so if you are going to go this route make sure he or she is doing it in a way, i.e. putting up plastic around cutting off your air condition in the room etc to avoid cross contamination. DO NOT LET SOME IDIOT CONTRACTOR DO THIS FOR YOU. Only let someone who knows what they are doing perform this test.
      6. No matter what type of testing they do make sure they take precautions not to cross contaminate your home. For example if they find the source they should take precaution not to over disturb the site. The goal is to figure out what is not to spread it through your home. Also once complete they plastic off the source as well as any holes they drill in the wall. Spores are made to travel airborne and the eye can´t see them. Be extra careful, as spreading them throughout your home will exponentially increase the cost of remediation. A good source for additional information on testing can be found at the following website: www.aerotechlabs.com/techtips.cfm.

      . Insurance - Hope for the best and prepare for the worst
      Disclaimer
      I want to say for the record that I know there are good insurance companies with good hardworking people working for them that are trying their best to be fair, helpful and honest. I have personnel had a bad experience with my insurance company which has probably given me a mistrusting view of them so please keep that in mind.
      Insurance Companies
      Never forget what insurance companies are and what they are in business to do. They are not your GOOD NEIGHBOR (I have never had a neighbor charge or pay me money) or the GOOD HANDS PEOPLE (what does this mean anyway). Don't get me wrong, we need them but lets tell it like it is, they are financial institutions that like any business are trying to make money. The way they make money is by collecting premiums from the masses and paying claims to relatively few. The better they are at limiting claims the more money they make. To limit claims they try to be as efficient as possible. Unfortunately sometimes efficiency can be taken too far at your expense. For example, your insurance adjuster gets evaluated on how efficiency he or she settles a claim. The way they measure this by judging his or her performance based on the anticipated costs of a claim. Lets say you have a shower pan leak and it is the insurance companies experience that these claims costs around $2,500 to repair. Now if the adjuster settles it for $2,300, "That a Boy." If he or she settles it for $3,000, "What the hell happen?" (I know I am probably pissing off some insurance advocate out there, for those people I say - get over it). Now, throw in the fact that the insurance companies did not anticipate big claims to be paid for mold testing and removal, "Oh No, we didn't plan on this, we are making less money." I think you get my point. These guys are not your friend they are only doing what they have been contracted to do so please don't for a minute think that they are looking out for your best interest. Only you can look after your best interest.
      What is covered?
      Insurance Companies cover "Sudden and Accidental Occurrences." For example, a water pipe breaks in your house while you are at work and when you come home the house is flooded (Covered). You have a slow water leak that you knew about but did nothing to fix and over time it caused a problem (Not Covered). So what does this mean with mold? Well if you have significant mold growth and you have widespread contamination, just by the nature of how mold grows and spreads you are probably talking about something that has been a long standing problem or some type of construction defect. Do you feel a -Not Covered- heading your way? Ok so here is the drill, you have widespread contamination your insurance company says "hey we better test this mold and investigate how this got started, aren't we good guys." They are doing this for their benefit, not yours. They are investigating whether or not they can deny your claim, not what are the potential health effects. I'll will go even further I bet at the same time they said lets test your mold they also sent you a certified letter saying that they are investigating the claim and they "Reserve their Rights" under your insurance contract. Lies, what this means is they reserve the right to decline your claim in the future even if they started to pay you for some items like "additional living expenses." The right answer here is as soon as you have mold pay someone who knows what they are doing, to safely remove it without contaminating the rest of your house in the process. Testing for mold is incidental to fixing the water leak and stopping the mold from growing. You test mold to determine what health effects there might be and how to reduce your risk of those effects, not to fix the mold problem.
      So what should I do?
      First go out and buy a small tape recorder and an attachment that allows you to record your telephone conversations with the insurance company. Some states require you notify the other party that you are taping they call (if so tell them) a lot of states like Texas does not. This will give you tremendous peace of mind and will avoid them back tracking in the future. THIS IS A MUST. Next your answer it always that the water leak was from a sudden discharge that you had no way of knowing that there was a problem and as soon as you did you contacted the insurance company and took precautions to insure no further damage occurred. Let's say it is looking like a construction defect. Then your answer is well "I don't believe it was a defect, I believe it was the "Driving Rain" or it just broke. Don't let them off the hook. Look at it this way, you went to the store and you bought some furniture. You ask them to deliver it and they didn't. You would be pissed off and you would do anything you could to make them live up to their obligation. Well you bought the furniture with your premiums now it is time for them to deliver.
      Other helpful hints
      Mold Testing Companies - Remember how I said that the insurance company would investigate by sending companies to investigate for their benefit. Mold testing companies are no different. First of all, the majority of these guys business is paid from insurance claims. This means most of there revenue and profit also comes from insurance companies. So when it comes down to making you happy or making their biggest customer happy well human nature tells me they answer is screw you. (I know there are some very honest mold testing companies and they can be your biggest allies) This all starts with them wanting to be contracted directly from the insurance companies. Which by the way is the insurance company's right to hire their own testing company (The testing fees do not come out of your policy limits). This is my advice; when the topic of testing comes up you say that you would like to hire the testing company directly and would they please reimburse you. This makes the testing company have a contractual obligation to look after your best interest not the insurance companies. Let's take that one more step. The testing is flawed and you get some serious illness that from a mold that they should have caught. Guess what you can't sue the testing company if the insurance company contacted them you can only sue the insurance company. Good luck on suing the insurance companies. These guys go to court all the time and have a pack of attorneys on staff to screw your world over. If they say they won't let you hire the mold testing company directly (what does that tell you) then I would say you don't mind if I hire my own testing company in addition to your guy and will you reimburse me for that? The answer will probably be no then immediately say will you at least pay ½. The answer will still probably be no but you have them on tape being jerks which will help you down the road (See Bad Faith).
      Contractors - Just like mold-testing companies should be hired by you so should contractors. I always hate how contractors say give me your adjuster's name and I will work directly with them. Maybe that is ok for some repairs but mold remediation and repair, I don't think so. I want to be in-charge. Sure it is more of a hassle but you want to make sure they are looking after your best interest. If a contractor says who is your insurance company, tell them that you will be handling the insurance company and they don't need to contact them. A lot of companies won't work for you when you say this but then again you probably know why.
      Bad Faith?
      In order for you to have a lawsuit against an insurance company you are going to have to prove Bad Faith. This is a legal term, which basically means they intended to screw you or they were grossly negligent. My advice on this is you constantly need to ask yourself when you talk to these guys "what would a jury think." You need to keeping asking them questions that make you look reasonable and them look unreasonable. Even if you know the answers, like no we won't pay for extra testing, ASK ANYWAY. I would also say don't be optimistic that you will be successful with a lawsuit against an insurance company. These guys are professional litigators who know all the tricks, rules, laws etc and have a pack of attorneys to drive you in the poor house and wait you out forever. Yes I know people get settlements from insurance companies all the time but if your case is not strong enough for an attorney to take it on a contingency, then you probably don't have a case. I believe you should build a case assuming you are going to court but keep in mind this is just the backstop.

      4. Moving out of Your Home- Where Should You Go, and What Should You Bring?

      I can easily recall the day the mold testing company called my wife and I and informed us that our home had a toxic mold and we need to move out immediately. At first I thought what an over reaction to something that has been growing in peoples homes since the dawn of time. Of course my next reaction was to think of my wife and small children and how I had a professional tell me that my home was not safe and their health was at risk. Even with the remote chance that their health was really in jeopardy I could not take that chance for them so I knew we had to leave. Then they question became how soon which the quick rely was today. How do you move your family out of your home in a day and what should you bring.
      The testing company gave me some generally bad and unhelpful advice. Take as little as you can and make sure it can be washed with a diluted bleach solution. I don't know about you but I think that type of advice sucks. That basically leaves nothing but glass, which isn't very helpful in dressing your children. I then called my insurance company with some more bad advice. We don't know call the testing company. I then asked them where should I go. The immediately had me contact their corporate relocator. (More bad advice). The corporate locator immediately found me a too small of apartment at roughly double the rent that the apartment complex would charge me directly for such an apartment. (I will get to why you care about what you are paying for rent). It wasn't for at least two or three months before we figured out what we should have done. Ok so if I was faced with this problem again this is what I would do.
      Where Should You Go
    6. First you should not use a corporate relocator. As I mentioned above these people make their living on very short very expensive leases. For the same apartment and furniture they will give you, you could make the same phone call on the same day and get it for half price. I know "But I have insurance to pay for this so why do I care how much?" Ok, here is how it works. When you buy your home owners insurance you get something they call additional living expenses (ALE) coverage which is generally 20% of the value of your policy. For example, if you insurance your home for $150,000 your ALE coverage would be $30,000. Sounds like a lot huh, nope. Lets assume you use the corporate relocator an apartment which rents for say $1,400 per month we cost you $3,000. First it is too small but ok that means 10 months. Well not exactly, first they charge you a deposit of one month, that leaves 9 months then the apartment isn't ready for two weeks which you have to go to a hotel, 8 months. Next you have to buy things just to live. (All new groceries, consumables etc.) Now you have 7 months. You get the picture things add up quick. To make matters worse because mold issues have become so big that major contractors (we will discuss how to pick a contractor later) are so busy you will face months of delays just waiting around.
    7. The best thing you can do is first move to a hotel for a few days and assume that you will be out of your home for at least 9 months maybe longer if you have a lot of mold contamination I hope it is better for you but it wasn't for me.
    8. Find a home in your area that is as close to where you're currently living as possible. You will be spending a lot of time at your home meeting with contractors, picking up the mail etc.
    9. Sign a 9-month lease with a month to month option for another three months.
    10. Don't rent furniture, rental furniture is just as expensive as a corporate reloactor. For the same as rent you could buy the items. Insurance will pay for this since it makes financial sense to them.
    11. Expect delays, expect insurance problems, and expect the unexpected. The will all happen so you have to take the attitude that slow and steady wins the race. You will need lots of patience and persistence.
What should I take with me?
    1. Soft goods - My wife and I took what we thought were the bare necessities of clothes. We took them all to the dry cleaners and thought they were clean (by the way this is charged against your ALE, 6 months). We also took some clothes that we washed three times in a row. We had the industrial hygienist test both after we were done. The dry cleaning process did not remove the mold spores the washing did. Why? Spores don't just die they get knocked off so to speak. Dry cleaning process is a delicate process and washing isn't. Ok so most soft goods are safe if you can wash repeatedly.
    2. Hard Goods - Most of you items will be cleaned with one of two things later - a) a diluted bleach solution or something they call microban. Bleach of course does the job but ruins most everything so we used microban (see helpful items). We had items tested after cleaning and although it works not as well as the bleach solution it pretty much did the job. I would clean anything that had a small pieces are items such as children's toys that you could see them putting in their months. A remediation company would charge more to clean it than it would cost to get new anyway. I will discuss this in a lot of detail in a future section.
You need to think of this as just a start to get out of the crisis so you can make clearer decisions later. Don't try to take everything just what you need. This will make it a lot easier later.

This information provided by: http://www.geocities.com/toxicmolds/information/article.html

Also, check out the link at : http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/mold/stachy.htm
for questions and answers pertaining to mold