Salvaggio, a local internist who died in 1999

[Guest guest]

The Times-Picayune

THE SAME OLD SAME MOLD

http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-

0/1130572780302830.xml

It's been in around forever, but this scary season finds fungi

invading at a bone-chilling pace

Saturday, October 29, 2005

By Renée Peck

InsideOut editor

New Orleanians aren't much in the mood for fake spider webs or

ghoulish trappings this Halloween: The post-Katrina invasion of mold

has covered the city in an all-too-real horror decor.

New Orleans is home to thousands of mold species. In fact, Dr.

Salvaggio, a local internist who died in 1999, dubbed the annual

late-summer onslaught of wheezing and coughing " New Orleans asthma, "

a condition he believed was prompted by August's high levels of mold

spores and accompanying heat.

But what was a normal outdoor nuisance became an indoor onslaught

when Hurricane Katrina blew through. The flooding and power outages

after the storm provided exactly the right conditions for mold

growth: moisture, darkness and warmth. And common building materials

provided excellent nourishment: Mold eats organic material,

including anything containing cellulose such as Sheetrock and

particle board, and invades virtually any porous surface in the

house, from upholstery to insulation.

Even homes lightly touched by Katrina saw mold infestation. The

industry rule of thumb is 48 hours: If your house stayed wet for two

days, you got mold. Problems mushroomed because residents couldn't

return for several weeks, houses without electricity didn't have air

conditioning to lower humidity, and windows were shut tight, turning

homes into virtual mold hothouses.

" This is an unprecedented amount of mold, " said Bill Sothern, a

certified industrial hygienist with Microecologies Inc. " It doesn't

exist anywhere else. Even the tsunami wasn't this bad -- maybe

because they didn't have Sheetrock. "

" The issue is quantity, " agreed Claudette Reichel, extension housing

specialist with the Louisiana State University Agricultural

Center. " Mold releases tiny spores that travel in the air and settle

on surfaces and multiply exponentially under the right conditions. "

Painfully plentiful

A typical recent mold sampling by Sothern revealed 18,360 mold

spores per cubic meter of air outdoors -- " that's normal, no big

deal, " he said -- and 1.27 million mold spores inside the

accompanying house. Some homes have tested at nearly 3 million mold

spores per cubic meter of air.

Mold comes in a rainbow of colors and a range of textures and

shapes. The kind of mold growing in your house depends on what you

had floating around in the air before the storm.

The white fuzzy mold currently growing up to 2 inches deep on local

interiors is referred to in the industry as " cotton candy. " Many

molds are black, but not all of them are the " black mold " that

reached celebrity status in 1993 when it was found growing in

several Cleveland, Ohio, homes where infants had died of pulmonary

hemorrhages.

" 'Black mold' is a meaningless term, " said Reichel. " Most molds are

black. "

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that

there is no proven connection between infant bleeding and

stachybotrys chartarum, the original " black mold. " The center also

points out that the term " toxic mold " is inaccurate: While certain

molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins (specifically

mycotoxins), the molds themselves are not toxic, or poisonous.

There are, however, health risks associated with toxigenic molds,

and Sothern said he has found " massive levels " of stachybotrys in

several local homes. The mold expert also is concerned, he said, by

findings of trichoderma and fusarium, the latter of which looks like

a spider web and is considered rare. " I'm shocked at the amount of

it I've seen, " said Sothern. He is awaiting further testing on

several kinds of aspergillus to see if any are toxigenic species.

The multiple varieties of mold found in many homes creates another

problem. When different species fight for the same food sources --

as has happened with Katrina -- they produce higher levels of

toxins. And killing the mold does not get rid of the toxins: While

dead mold spores can no longer cause infectious diseases (which are

rare anyway), they are just as potentially perilous if inhaled.

" The health hazard depends on the level of exposure and the

sensitivity of the individual, " said Reichel. " Some people can clean

up with no effects. Others can come in contact with a tiny bit of

mold and get sick. "

Mold can be a trigger for asthma and allergies. If you're allergic

to penicillin, you'll also be allergic to the 150 species of

penicillium molds.

The young, the old and those with suppressed immune systems are

particularly susceptible to mold. Ingesting, inhaling or even

touching mold can cause reactions, which may range from flu-like

symptoms, eye irritation or rashes to chronic fatigue or nausea.

" Coupled with all the stress we're under, you might get the flu this

year when you usually don't, " said Reichel.

Getting rid of it

Even extensive mold, however, often can be successfully removed.

" The good news is, if mold is going to be a problem, it usually will

be visible, " said Sothern. Of 20 houses he tested that had high mold

content, all but one were deemed remediable.

If you do the mold removal yourself, be careful how you proceed:

Mold spores float into the air at the least disturbance -- waving a

hand in front of your face is enough to dislodge them. (See mold

remediation tips on Page 17.) The EPA recommends that individuals

should consider hiring a professional if mold covers an area larger

than 10 square feet.

" Most people will use common construction methods to rip out moldy

surfaces, and some of them will get sick, " said Jeff Pothast, a

Colorado industrial hygienist who specializes in mold remediation. A

half-face purifying respirator with an N-95 or better rating,

goggles and gloves are minimum requirements when removing mold.

Meanwhile, the infestation of mold has made remediation a growth

industry. " Professional " mold removers are multiplying almost as

fast as the spores they're offering to eradicate. By law, however,

professional mold remediators must have 24 hours of class time and

be licensed in mold remediation by the Louisiana State Licensing

Board for Contractors. For a list of licensed mold remediators in

Louisiana see www.lslbc.state.la.us/search/cresults.asp.

Most professional mold remediators charge about $10 to $12 per

square foot; the fee includes demolition and removal, but not

reconstruction. While there are workers who will pull out Sheetrock

for $2 to $4 a foot, adds Sothern, they can conceivably seek damages

from the homeowner if they get sick. Also, improper drywall removal

can spread the spores to other areas of the house.

Failure to do a thorough job also can lead to problems down the

road.

" Some mold strains can lie dormant (in a wall) for up to 12 years,

waiting for moisture to grow, " said licensed remediator Salmon

of Aire-Scrubbers.

.. . . . . . .

InsideOut Editor Renée Peck can be reached at

rpeck@... or (504) 826-3431.

_________________________www.epa.gov/mold

www.lsuagcenter.com

www.buildingscience.com

www.microecologies.com/moldcleanupguidelinesforresidents

MOLD WORKSHOP

When: Nov. 5, 10 a.m.

Where: St. Augustine Parish Hall, 1224 Gov. Nicholls St., Treme

What: Industrial hygienist Bill Sothern, of Microecologies, offers

information and advice to residents on mold issues. Free. Call (646)

226-3739.

MOLD REMEDIATION

When: Nov. 10, 6 p.m.

Where: East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Ave., Metairie

What: Ann Berry, Ph.D., assistant professor, Family Resource

Management, leads a workshop sponsored by the LSU AgCenter

on " Avoiding Mold Hazards in your Home. " Free. For information call

(504) 838-1170.