On the level: Mold spores grow easily

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On the level: Mold spores grow easily

By JIM ROONEY, For The Capital

Q. I think I may have toxic mold in my house. We have a bathroom vanity in a

secondary lavatory that we hardly use. I just went under there because I

thought I heard dripping water, only to discover a lot of moisture and what

appears to be black mold. I have done some reading on the subject and am

afraid to disturb it on my own (i.e. tear out the vanity) for fear that I

will release spores into the air, thus " contaminating " the house.

Do you have any recommendations as to what I should do to take care of this

problem before it gets too bad (assuming it isn't already)?

Darn! I've been watching this mold issue grow and grow over the past couple

of years and I was waiting for the dust to settle somewhat before wading

into the fray but the volume of questions I've received lately isn't going

to let me hold my tongue any longer.

The last time I weighed in against something I knew to be a source of

household fungal infection -- duct-mounted humidifiers -- the reaction I got

from some quarters was as if I'd attacked someone's mother.

OK, here goes. Just remember, when you talk to someone concerning this

issue, follow the money. It's dollar driven hysteria based upon some real

cases.

Mold, also known as fungus, is everywhere. Some estimates have the different

species of fungi in the tens of thousands and they range from benign

cheese-makers to toxic killers that terrorists cultivate. There are about

four or five that are the most common, which will be likely what you run

into, and you deal with them all in the same way.

In buildings or houses without any active fungal growth at all, it's not

uncommon to detect 85 to almost 300 spores per cubic foot floating around in

the air looking for a place to land and grow. If there is an active growth

somewhere in the structure, that number can jump up to about 860 spores per

cubic foot of air.

The guess is that about 10 percent of those floaters are viable, which

simply means if they land on ideal conditions they will create a colony and

the infection is off and running. I've always felt that mildew is the

unofficial state flower of land because I sure see more of it than I do

black-eyed s.

Just as we were taught in school about the triangle of requirements of fuel,

heat and air for fire to occur, a similar set of circumstances is true for

fungal growth. The spores need moisture, temperatures usually about 50

degrees Fahrenheit or above and a food source. Food sources are mostly

cellulose such as wood products, paper, cardboard, etc., but in a pinch just

a fine film of dust on a smooth surface will do -- such as when mildew forms

on the side of a refrigerator.

In your case, you had a steady drip under a sink that was perfect for the

growth to establish and bloom. You found it and step one is to stop the leak

and eliminate the moisture source. Now the fungus will die or go dormant.

You can treat the affected area with everything from ultra-violet light to

biocides such as common laundry bleach.

Have you removed the molds total toxicity by so doing? Not according to

some. Even though no state or federal guidelines exist for acceptable levels

of infection, most mitigators will have you remove the contaminated

material.

Dress up like you are going on the space shuttle and get the contaminated

material into a plastic trash-bag and off to the landfill. For a very

general set of instructions, download the EPA's Brief Guide to Mold,

Moisture and Your Home at www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html. If that's

too much of a hassle call 1-800-438-4318.

As for toxicity, it varies so much between mold type and people's tolerance

levels that no standards have been developed. The great state of California

passed a law known as the Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001 and they have

yet to promulgate permissible exposure limits (PELs) to indoor mold or even

be able to create such limits.

Some people react violently to exposure to some types of mold while others

can roll in it without detriment. As usual, the folks at greatest risk are

the very young, the very old and those with compromised immune systems.

What you are doing is the right thing and I doubt that you have placed your

family in any great danger. If you had done nothing about the problem it

might be a completely different story -- the kind that makes lawyers slather

and insurance executives quake with fear. One of the research sources for

this column came from the November 2002 magazine of the American Society of

Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the ASHRAE Journal,

which also had an article in the same edition about unplanned airflows and

moisture.

Keep the mail coming. If you've got a question, tip or comment let me know.

Write " On The Level, " c/o The Capital, P.O. Box 3407, polis, MD 21403 or

e-mail me at INSPEKTOR@....

- No Jumps-

Published December 07, 2002, The Capital, polis, Md.