Spore counts rise as home humidity builds up

[Guest guest]

Mold: Spore counts rise as home humidity builds up

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/health/1104/09mold.html

By BILL HENDRICK

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 11/08/04

Like the melon-sized pods in the cult movie " Invasion of the Body

Snatchers " that consumed every person they touched, millions of

green mold spores are wafting unseen around our homes, offices and

movie theaters, silently attacking our lungs, sinuses and eyes.

These microscopic particles — floating around the Atlanta area in

the greatest quantities in more than a century — are triggering

allergies, asthma, headaches, stuffy noses, itchy eyes, wheezing,

flulike symptoms and fatigue.

Bob Andres/AJC

Zaeske (left) of All Stucco and Mold Inspections uses a

Delmhorst moisture meter with a deep wall probe to look for the

moisture that causes mold in the home of Kimball of Kennesaw.

There's been a run across the metro area on dehumidifiers — electric

machines that suck mold-causing moisture out of the air, but the

devices are hard to find. And allergists' offices are full of people

suffering like it's the height of springtime pollen season.

Blame the worse-than-normal hurricane season. The National Weather

Service said September and October were the wettest months in metro

Atlanta since 1888, when 18.25 inches fell. This fall, the area has

recorded 15.8 inches, about four times more than in the same months

last year. And the upcoming winter is expected to be wetter than

normal, says Weather Service hydrologist Jim Noel.

" It's a significant problem, " said Dr. Dennis Spangler, chief

medical officer of the 15 Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic

locations. " A significant number of people with allergies are

allergic to mold. Dehumidifiers have value, but they often don't do

enough. "

Mold — neither plant nor animal, but a fungus that grows, feeds and

multiplies by spreading seeds called spores — is almost impossible

to kill. Once it grows in Sheetrock, wooden beams and carpeting, its

life is virtually eternal. It can be fought, even temporarily

contained, with bleaches and other solutions. But ridding a home or

any building completely of the stuff is almost impossible without

spending thousands of dollars removing " infected " areas, including

Sheetrock, paint, carpeting, wallpaper, even old shoes and baseball

gloves.

Spangler stresses that, when it comes to mold, you can run, but you

can't hide.

It's everywhere.

Which is why studies about the danger of mold have spawned a cottage

industry of mold-buster companies that use high-tech gear to detect

it.

The Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic found in a study that " flare-

ups in asthma cases were greater when mold counts were high than

when pollen counts were high, " Spangler says.

" Spore counts go up this time of year, " he says. " Up to 25 percent

of the population has chronic rhinitis, and of these, at least half

have mold sensitivities. It gets on your clothes. Spilled sodas in

movie theaters feed mold in seats and carpets. You can't get away

from it. "

That doesn't stop people from trying. Kimball, 61, of

Kennesaw was so bothered by mold in her previous home that she had

trouble breathing, so she sold it.

And before buying her present house, she hired Zaeske, a

certified mold inspector, to check it out for any signs of the

stuff. He and his crew at All Stucco and Mold Inspections Inc. in

Marietta charged her about $400 for a thorough check in which they

used cotton swabs and high-tech gear that can detect mold or

moisture behind walls, ceilings, in Sheetrock and attics.

" I feel relieved, " she says. " No more mold. "

Kitsy Rose, 32, of Midtown also was so sick of her mold problems,

she moved — after having the new place checked out. " I've been

healthier since I've been in the new house, " she says. " The other

place was a mold playground. But if you get away from it, you feel

better. "

Lora Millard, 55, spent about $30,000 trying to get rid of mold in

her older home.

" I am highly allergic to mold, " she says. " I saw it in a wall, in

the bedroom, the Sheetrock looked like it was crumbling. It had

enough mold to make the normal person sick. "

But in the end, she too purchased a new house, in Inman Park — after

having it checked for mold.

Over time, mold creeps into 100 percent of all buildings in humid

areas like the South. The secret, Zaeske says, is to make pre-

emptive strikes against mold.

Homeowners must fix leaky roofs, landscape yards so that water flows

away from the house, purchase dehumidifiers and remove anything

that's moldy because mold also grows on mold.

On a recent day at a Home Depot store in east Cobb County, not one

dehumidifier was in stock. A salesman said customers had been

snapping them up and that hundreds had been purchased by people

who'd driven from Florida to haul the machines down there. Home

Depot spokeswoman Jen King said, " We are having shortages across the

country of dehumidifiers, but we're getting more in. Since June,

it's been really tough. "

The story's the same at other big chain operations.

" There's been a run, " says Gene McLeod, Sears store manager at

Cumberland Mall. " We close to doubled sales of last October. People

complain about a musty smell or a damp feeling. "

Lowe's spokeswoman says the chain's 15 or so stores

in metro Atlanta mostly have some dehumidifiers, but it's been tough

keeping up with demand. Wal-Mart's Suzanne Haney says the chain has

sold so many " we have a shortage " but that " from now on, though this

has been a seasonal item, we're going to stock them year-round. "

" There's been a big gigantic sucking sound for finding ways to take

everything mold-related away, " says Henry Slack, an engineer for the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. " And if it rains, then home

humidities just build up. And you get more mold. " He says mold

complaints have been surging.

Reynolds, a scientist at the University of Arizona who

recently completed a study on mold, found that:

• 100 percent of homes tested contained spores, though 83 percent of

people say mold isn't a problem in their houses.

• A third of consumers who clean for mold use soap and water, which

is ineffective, and 36 percent think they've killed mold if it can't

be seen.

• Mold spores are suspected in the tripling of the asthma rate in

the past 20 years.

• A chlorine bleach solution can kill mold and neutralize indoor

mold allergens.

" We believe it [mold] is a major factor in illnesses, " says

Reynolds, a microbiologist whose study was published in the peer-

reviewed Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. " We know that

early exposure can lead to worse symptoms of allergy and asthma

later in life. "

Short of spending thousands of dollars to rip out mold-infested

areas, solutions include buying dehumidifiers and trying to make

sure the indoor environments are well-ventilated. Crawl spaces can

be fitted with fans and hard surfaces treated with bleach.

Whatever you do, check the " remediation " companies out and get

references, says Warner McConaughey, owner of Hammer Renovation

in Atlanta. And keep in mind there's a lot you can do for yourself.

" But there's no magic bullet, " he says. " Get different opinions and

estimates. And remember: Mold is everywhere. "

GUIDE TO MOLD

WHAT IT IS . . .

• Mold is a fungus. The " seeds, " called spores, are spread by the

wind outdoors and by air indoors. Some are released in dry, windy

weather. Others are released with the fog or dew when humidity is

high. Mold spore counts go way up at this time of year, since mold

thrives in dead and decaying plants. But allergic symptoms from

fungus spores are most common from July to late summer. About half

of folks with allergies are allergic to mold. And mold is considered

a top trigger for asthma.

MOLD FACTS

• Mold may be invisible to the eye or look like furry growth, black

stains or specks of black, white, orange, green or brown on surfaces.

• Once mold has colonized, it can reveal itself as discolored

patches or cottony, speckled growth on walls. Large infestations

usually can be seen or smelled.

• Water leaks or an earthy or musty odor can be good indications of

a potential mold problem.

• To grow, spores need a food source, a warm environment and

moisture. Most homes offer an ample food supply — drywall, wood,

insulation or paper. When these materials become damp or wet,

settled spores can quickly colonize.

• There's no scientific difference between mold and mildew.

• Black mold gets a bad rap. Only one black mold produces

neurotoxins that can affect the brain. It's a different kind of bug,

growing in drywall and porous surfaces. It likes to grow in humidity

above 70 percent.

• People with pre-existing respiratory conditions, weakened immune

systems, such as individuals with HIV infection, cancer, infants and

young children, and the elderly are all at higher risk when exposed

to mold.

• Nobody knows how many houses are infected with mold, but the

consensus is, it's close to 100 percent, especially in humid regions

like the South.

• There's evidence that bleach can kill it, but not all of it.

Bleach can be a temporary solution to making the green stuff

disappear.

• When new homes are built, most of the wood is infected with mold.

• Having your home just checked for mold can run from $200 to over

$500.

• Insurers paid $2.5 billion in mold-related claims under homeowner

policies in 2002, up from $1.3 billion in 2001. Rising mold claims

cause higher insurance rates.

HOW TO FIGHT MOLD

• Maintain indoor relative humidity between 35 percent to 50 percent.

• Fix leaking pipes immediately and prevent water from intruding

into your house.

• Use exhaust fans to increase bathroom and kitchen ventilation. Use

air conditioning or dehumidifiers during the summer months and at

times of high humidity, like the fall.

• Do not carpet bathrooms and basements.

• Clean hard surfaces regularly with a bleach-based product that has

been proved to kill mold.

• Clean your gutters.

• Connect extension hoses to gutter spouts to make sure rainwater

shoots away from your house.

• If you have a low spot near your foundation where water gathers,

fill it up.

• Install vapor barriers in crawl space with plastic sheeting.

• Use dehumidifiers — at least one. Keep in mind these machines use

a lot of electricity.

• Consider installing a French drain, designed to take water away

from your house.

• Seal concrete or cement block walls.

• Consider installing a fan ventilation system in your crawl space.

• Make sure existing vents aren't covered.

• Use an exhaust fan in a bathroom for several minutes after a

shower or bath. Use exhaust fans when cooking, and make sure they're

vented to the outside — same for dryer vents.

• Soap and water do not effectively eliminate mold. While they can

remove the mold stains, they do so by moving around the spores. The

microscopic spores that remain can be invisible to the eye, yet are

capable of quickly recolonizing.

ON THE WEB

EPA on mold

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

CDC on mold

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

National Association of Home Builders on mold

Established to help homeowners get mold claims reimbursed if

homeowner's policy covers mold damage