Toxic black mold inspectors in Miami, West Palm Beach, and Ft Lauderdale since 2003.
I have recently seen where a mold inspector quote the article titled “Indoor Mold, Toxigenic Fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum”and other similar scientific articles to support the belief that toxic molds poison people in their homes. A link to the article is listed below. To some toxic black mold inspectors it looks as if the article is stating that toxic molds are very toxic to homeowners or even deadly. Toxic Mold inspectors who hastily review such articles come to such conclusions do so because they do not understand what the scientific article is talking about. This and other similar articles on the topic of toxic mold effects are talking not about what happens when a home owner breathes in mold spores released by Stachybotrys or other toxic molds, the article is talking about the effects of mold toxins / mycotoxins when these toxins are eating in foods contaminated with toxic molds, or the effects of mold toxins when animals in the lab are injected with mold toxins being introduced into the body or nasal passages. Sometimes such web sites mention cases where industry workers were made ill by toxic mold exposure after working around clouds of organic dust and mold spores for extended periods of time, such conditions contain millions of spores per cubic meter or air as apposed to the hundreds or thousands of spores encountered in most moldy homes and offices.
This article has been used by toxic black mold inspectors to support the view that toxic molds will poison you but in fact the article and many others have been taken out of context and this article and other scientific articles like it currently support the view that their is no solid evidence that toxic mold will poison you when breathed in at levels found in the home. Of course theories can change but this is what the scientists were saying when this article was last updated in 2012.
It is important to keep in mind that both allergenic and toxic molds, and in fact any mold in your home at elevated levels can cause many people to become seriously ill from asthma or allergy related conditions as the result of allergens found in nearly all, if not all mold spores. Such conditions can be more serious and more debilitating than many people realize. Because these problems are not related to toxins, but to proteins found even in the most non toxic molds inspectors and homeowners must keep in mind that that means even non toxic fungi can cause illness!
If you suspect such problems you likely need professional mold testing and inspections. Toxic black mold inspectors should not stop with a simple air test, they should give you written advice on what to do in order to correct the problem before it, or your health gets worse.
HERE ARE SOME REASONS TO TAKE INDOOR FUNGAL GROWTH SERIOUSLY
1) Mold can cause flu like symptoms in mold removal workers if they are not wearing proper protective gear.
2) Mold can cause serious and even deadly infections, but this typically occurs in persons who have a week immune system.
3) Mold can create foul smelling microbial volatile organic compounds that in turn cause irritation resulting in allergy like symptoms.
4) Ignoring a mold problem can cause a two thousand dollar mold removal job to become a two hundred thousand dollar mold removal job.
5) Mold can make your home un inhabitable for your family, and nearly impossible for you to sell. Selling a home with a mold problem that you hid can easily get you and your Realtor sued.
6) Mold can cause allergic and asthma problems that can plague you for years while living in a moldy home.
In conclusion, one day more evidence that breathing in toxic mold spores is poisonous may come to light. Currently scientific literature does not support the belief that breathing in toxic black mold spores in a typical moldy home is a killer, just a royal pain in the lungs and pocket book. However mold of any kind in your house, given the right environmental conditions, has the potential to become a menace and cause serious allergy, asthma, and other related health problems.
Below is a link to that article.
Stachybotrys or toxic black mold spores still partially
attached to the fungal structures that created them.
Stachybotrys AKA toxic black mold on walls in a condo we inspected in
Lake Worth Near West Palm Beach, Fl 2005.
Stachybotrys on the walls of a 50,000 square foot
bank building we inspected in North West Florida.
Lab photo of Stachybotrys on paper in a Petri dish.
Note how it is similar to Stachybotrys mold in the field.
Sometimes it shows these concentric growth rings like the interior of a tree trunk.
The best way to identify toxic black mold or Stachybotrys is with spore analysis or DNA analysis in a lab.
Lab photo of Stachybotrys in a Petri dish.
note how it is much different in appearance than mold in the field.
Indoor Mold, Toxigenic Fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum: Infectious Disease Perspective
D. M. Kuhn1,2,3 and M. A. Ghannoum2,3
The article is from:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine,1 Center for Medical Mycology, Department of Dermatology,2 University Hospitals of Cleveland, and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 441063
The article appeared in:
Clinical Microbiology Reviews, January 2003, p. 144-172, Vol. 16, No. 1
0893-8512/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CMR.16.1.144-172.2003
Here is another link to the same article.
http://cmr.asm.org/cgi/content/full/16/1/144#R40
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