This Toxic Mold Information Is Brought To You By

A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc.

Offering Black Mold Testing and Inspections Since 2003.

 

INTRODUCTION

Black mold, scientific name Stachybotrys chartarum, is the most feared of all molds. Why Is black mold such a concern? Numerous news reports, online mold blogs, and magazine articles attribute brain damage, infant deaths, and bleeding in the lungs to this type of mold in residential settings. Are these outcomes to toxic black mold exposure real? Well lets start by saying the toxins these molds produce are very real.

 

WHY DO THEY PRODUCE TOXINS ?

Many molds produce mycotoxins, these are toxic chemicals that molds use in a type of microbial warfare. Living things that do not posses claws, fangs, or a hard shells to use in self defense sometimes revert to the use of toxins for self defense. If a creature does not have fast legs to run away from predators, then it will typically revert to the use of camouflage or the production of poisons. Such defenses are very common in nature.

HOW COMMON IS IT ?

Are toxic molds common in my area you may ask? They are more common than you may think. Toxic molds are commonly found by our inspector as he inspects properties throughout South Florida from Key West,  to West Palm Beach,   Ft Lauderdale and beyond. Our inspector has found it in the Florida Panhandle and many other areas. Toxic mold is cosmopolitan, that is to say it is widely distributed throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALLEGED HEALTH ISSUES

Many scientifically-established negative health effects have been attributed to mycotoxins produced by Stachybotrys mold, Fusarium mold, and black molds very close relative Memnoniella echinate. Some of these negative health effects include cancer of the liver, cell death, neurological damage, suppressed immune systems, and many others. Such toxic reactions are typically the result of lab animal studies conducted on mice, brine shrimp cultures, and cell cultures.

Many well documented cases of reactions to toxic molds exist:

– Industrial level exposures of mycotoxins such as at peanut processing facilities, composting facilities, and farms has caused documented toxigenic and severe allergenic problems.

 

DOCUMENTED FARM ANIMAL EXPOSURES TWO EXAMPLES

 

– Countless farm animals of many types have died as a result of eating food contaminated with toxic molds. 
In one extreme example that occurred in the mid 1960’s 100,000 turkeys died in England after consuming moldy food shipped from Brazil. The causative agent was aflotoxin from Aspergillus flavus mold.

 

– In the Ukraine in the 1920’s. Solders slept on hay that was infested with toxic black mold. They fed it to their horses and used it in fires. The men and their horses developed very intense and unusual health problems including pain, boils, and sensitivity to light.

For more information on documented cases and on mycotoxins refer to The Fifth Kingdom, by Brice Kindrick or Bioaerosols from ACGIH by Harriett Burge.

 

MYCOTOINS AND FOOD 

It is very important to not panic but to keep in mind that to accomplish the above serious detrimental effects, molds like Stachybotrys and others may have to be either:

1. Consumed in mold contaminated foods. 
2. Physically handled so that excessive physical contact is made between human skin and the mold.
4. High doses of the mycotoxins may have to be exposed to living cells in the laboratory.

Various studies have shown that the levels of mycotoxins encountered by breathing black mold spores in your home or office appear to be far too low to cause toxic reactions in humans.

Of course future studies may or may not change this current opinion held by many researches. Synergistic effects of various indoor pollutants and different mycotoxins mixing together may be more powerful than individual mycotoxin exposures. Fortunately scientist are not in the business of performing full fledged toxicity studies on human subjects. This means that yes toxic black mold and other molds commonly found in our homes do produce very strong toxins.

 

MOST LIKELY WAY TO BE POISOINED BY TOXIC MOLD 
At this time it appears that these toxins will not likely poison you if you simply breath in spores released by toxic molds in typical moldy homes and moldy offices. It appears that for toxic reactions to occur you may have to eat moldy foods according to some scientific evidence.

IN CONCLUSION

In conclusion toxic molds do produce toxins, but exposure to these molds in such a way that it could result in toxic reactions is extremely rare. However, asthma attacks, allergies, and sinus infections from mold appear to be very common and results in such levels of distress in some persons that they feel as if they were being poisoned. For more non bias information on toxic black mold and health consult the EPA and CDC.

Black mold found hidden behind wall paper.
Black mold often grows in dark hidden areas.

 

TOXIC MOLD INSPECTIONS AND TOXIC MOLD TESTING

We have tried to be completely honest with you and not revert to scare tactics. Sure scaring you will mean more business for us, but I would rather be honest and tell you the above truths. Sure toxic mold can cause allergy and asthma and in general make you feel ill just like any mold can. However true toxic reactions to toxic molds are rare and far apart as we understand it today.  What is more important than worrying about the type of mold is dealing with the mold problem regardless of the type of mold. Discovering the root cause of any mold, and conducting proper removal of any type of mold, toxic or not, is of the up most importance. The longer you wait the more expensive and difficult proper removal will likely be.

HELP WITH YOUR TOXIC MOLD PROBLEM

If you feel that you have a toxic mold problem at your home or place of work contact a certified mold inspection service in your area. Interview the company before hiring them. The company should be able to locate the mold problem, quantify how contaminated the property is, and determine what caused the moisture that caused the mold. In addition the inspection company should provide information on how to get rid of the mold. All this should be in the form of a written mold inspection report. 

 

Black mold inside a wall, the white branching root 
like structures are basidiomycets related to mushrooms.
This was all found by our West Palm Beach inspector
in an apartment in Lake Worth Florida after a Hurricane. 

 

 

Black mold found by our mold testing specialist during an investigation
in the Caribbean. It was growing in almost all 18 AC closets in the 80,000 sf building.

 

 

About the Author

Daryl Watters has a bachelors degree in education for teaching biology and general science and is a state licensed mold inspector and a Board Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant providing building inspections in South Florida since 1993.
We function as an independent Florida black mold inspection firm and not as a remediation firm. We have no conflict of interest. Protecting your health is our primary concern.