Is there such a thing as dead mold?

[Guest guest]

Marcie,

Your comment is an important one so bear with me as I clarify. The

way dead or alive is defined for micro-organisms -- whether mold,

bacteria or virus -- goes back to whether or not they are infectious.

An infection is when the organism gets inside your body and

reproduces, creating " babies, " if you will, more rapidly than the

most prolific bunny. If the new organisms then create even more

" babies " and the immune system can't keep up, you are considered

seriously ill from an infection. Gradually, the immune system gains

on the reproductively obsessive mold, bacteria or virus bringing the

infection to an end -- if not you may die.

So for infections, it is vitally important to have the organism not

be able to reproduce. In fact, the definition for a dead organism is

that it can't reproduce. Aren't you glad that definition is not used

to define whether or not people are dead or alive. If it did then I

have been dead for over 30 years, the age of my last child!

How is death determined? On a culture plate in a lab. If a mold spore

doesn't grow in the the lab then it is dead. It may growt in the real

world but not in the different conditions in the lab. Or maybe it

didn't survive the collection and the trip to the lab. In fact, the

blindness of researchers used to be so great that they believed that

if nothing grew in the lab then no mold even existed. We and they

know better now.

There are sampling methods now that don't rely on growing spores on a

culture plate. Using a microscope, among other methods, a trained

mycologist can identify mold spores whether they are dead or alive.

They can count thousands of them, for example, yet none may grow on

the plate. Mold that can't reproduce definitely does exist, so with

this definition there is such a thing as dead mold.

Mold spores can also be dormant, just like lettuce or carrot seeds

from the garden supply store. Add water and they germinate, sprout

and begin growing into plants. That is what you describe in your e-

mail.

So we have mold that can reproduce, mold that is dormant and will

begin to reproduce if the environment changes and mold that can't

reproduce even under the most ideal conditions.

Now, just because mold is dead doesn't mean you won't react to it. It

doens't mean it is safe. Even though dead mold cannot be infectious

because it can't reproduce, infection is not the major concern.

Allergy, irritation and sensitivity reactions from proteins, glucans,

enzymes and mycotoxins contained in the spores and the fragments are

all factors. Jeff May has an article in next month's Indoor

Environment Connections about mites that live on mold. Are they an

allergen? The experts are just beginning to explore what all is

involved with mold spores, fragments and growing colonies.

All the above is why killing mold does absolutely nothing except stop

the slight opportunity for infection. It does not stop all the other

reactions from all the components of mold and the mites that love

them. In this sense, you are exactly correct that the presence of

spores (and fragments!) is still a concern.

This is also one of the the several justifications for EPA, ACGIH and

S520 not supporting the use of biocides including ozone to kill mold.

The exposure continues to occur. Mold still has to be removed so

remove it without the added expense of killing it first. Remove it

without exposing the workers and occupants and without spreading it

around the house. Remove the visible growth and the not-visible

spores and fragments. Remove the exposed mold and the hidden mold.

Remove all the mold.

However, because more spores are always in the air, they will grow in

the same spot unless the moisture source is removed. Test this by

setting out culture plates. Mold will grow on the plate but not on

the counter top the plate is sitting on. The environment that

supports rather than hinders mold growth must be altered. If not, new

growth will begin and all that has been gained is maybe a little

time.

There IS dead mold, but so what. You are still right that they are a

concern. And, I would add, so are the even more numerous fragments

from the whole mold organism.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

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> Carl,

> There is no such thing as dead mold! If the spores exsist, when the

> conditions are right for it to grow, such as Stachybotrys, it will

> come back. If the spores are still present, they are still a concern

> and should be to everyone. Marcie