Seek out and destroy mold in your home:Johanning/May

October 9, 2005

October 8, 2005

Seek out and destroy mold in your home

AID=/20051008/LIVING02/510080321/1084

By Jay Romano

New York Times News Service

Mold thrives in damp places. Often, health experts say, ideal

breeding grounds are the insides of walls and ceilings exposed to a

recurrent source of moisture from a roof or plumbing leak.

So how do you know if you have mold in your house, and what do you

do if you do? " Not all mold is the same, and different people

respond to mold differently, " said Dr. Eckhardt Johanning, an

occupational and environmental physician.

Johanning said that while some people may have no reaction, " people

with asthma, allergies, lung problems and immune-system dysfunction

are usually more inclined to experience problems when they're

exposed to mold, " he said.

C. May, principal scientist for May Indoor Air

Investigations, said that a first sign of mold is an allergic

reaction that occurs only inside the house.

Another way to determine the presence of mold is to use a home-test

kit sold in stores and on the Internet for less than $50. After

being exposed to air inside the home for a period of time, the kit

is returned to the manufacturer, which determines the type and

quantity of any mold spores.

" Home test kits might be good for preliminary screening, " May

said. " But they can't tell you the source of the mold. " A

professional mold inspection starts at about $400.

Olmsted, an industrial hygienist, said he uses another

technique. " For me, the best way is to look for moisture, " he

said. " Once I've found a place that looks like it has had some water

damage, that's where I'll look for mold. "

While it is often said that washing down a moldy surface with a

bleach solution will remove the mold, doing so typically will not

work on porous surfaces like wallboard and wood. " You might be

killing the spores that are there, " Olmstead said, " but in most

cases the mold will grow right back. "

" Mold is like a factory that produces billions of spores, " he

said. " The factory runs only when moisture is available. Eliminate

the moisture, and you shut down the factory. "

Recommended Posts