Moist conditions can cause problem

October 21, 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

The mold menace

Poughkeepsie,NY

By Maserjian Shan

For the Poughkeepsie Journal

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20051021/LIFE07/510210309/1005/LIFE

For years, VeNona Berglund suffered with migraine headaches, itching

on her face and body and diarrhea. Her doctor gave her anti-fungal

medicines to combat the illnesses and she restricted her diet. They

didn't help much.

Then her doctor asked her if she had mold in her Saugerties house.

She did. Her husband cleaned out whatever mold he could see, but her

illnesses persisted.

" You could smell it, " Berglund said, although she and her family

didn't see any mold.

" I was to the point where I had sores on my body, was going into

respiratory stress, " Berglund said. Her doctor told her she had a

body-wide condition and to check her house for mold again.

This time she called in mold expert Rich Wasvary, owner of Expediant

in Hyde Park, who found mold in her basement. The room, damp from

occasional water leaks, had mold growing on stored cardboard and

books and other items, causing Berglund, her husband and her

daughter a range of discomforts since they all were sensitive to the

mold.

Expediant cleaned out the basement and the home's heating system,

installed a dehumidifier in the basement and put an air purifier

upstairs.

" My itching decreased in three days, " Berglund said. That was in

June. Now she isn't taking any medications at all and feels fine.

" The difference was getting my house cleaned, " she said.

While mold spores naturally are present in both indoor and outdoor

air, damp environments encourage the growth of mold, which can be a

real problem for infants, the elderly, people with immunity

disorders and others who are sensitive to it, causing or triggering

respiratory difficulties, sinus infections or worse. Aside from

that, mold damages whatever surface it grows on — whether it's wood,

paper, fabrics, leaves or something else — as its function is to

decompose organic matter.

" Mold is in 100 percent of all buildings, " said Selig,

manager of HomeTeam Inspection, based in Clifton Park, Saratoga

County, with a branch office in Poughkeepsie. " There's no building I

can go into and not find visible mold regardless of the age,

condition or how well maintained it is. "

Should there be a problem with excessive mold, the likely culprit is

a problem with water, Selig said, since mold grows on organic matter

in damp environments.

" Moisture is the enemy, " said Wasvary.

Mold can grow on organic surfaces with 8 percent or higher moisture

levels and in areas with a relative humidity of 55 percent or more,

he said. Most often, it is found in basements, crawl spaces and

attics of old and new homes.

Not on inorganic matter

Mold seeks out the sugars in organic matters and won't grow on

inorganic matter, like rocks and stones, Selig said.

" The gypsum inside drywall is not a food, but the paper that's on

the gypsum is a food, " he said. " It's a misnomer to think that the

mold will grow through a piece of drywall, but if there's enough

moisture on the other side of the drywall — the other side of the

gypsum — the mold will grow there, too. "

Molds fall into four main types: allergenic, pathogenic,

carcinogenic and toxicogenic, Wasvary said. Each type of mold is

handled according to the amount of it that's present and the

sensitivity to that mold that a homeowner has to it. Molds can grow

within one to 14 days, with millions of spores on each square inch

of growth. Bleach and detergents can be used to clean small areas of

mold, but, and as a rule of thumb, moldy areas larger than one

square foot should be treated by a professional, Wasvary said.

While there are no local or federal governmental guidelines on

excessive levels of mold, the Environmental Protection Agency and

New York City have guidelines on how to clean it up, according to

how much of it is visible, Selig said.

Wasvary said keeping up with home maintenance and controlling

moisture helps prevent mold. Repair roof problems and leaking pipes,

be sure your attic is well ventilated and your home's air ducts are

clean. Also, keep your home's gutters flowing freely and be sure the

land around your house is graded away from the foundation. Most

especially, Wasvary said, if your basement is damp, dehumidify it,

since moisture rises, potentially causing problems on the floor

above it, such as buckling floors and mold growth on carpet pads.

" It's an investigation, when you go to a house, to pin down where

the growth is, what the source is, why they called you in the first

place — are you feeling bad, did you smell something? — and then to

have a successful conclusion, " Wasvary said.

October 21, 2005

FYI, ALL:

DR ECKARDT JOHANNING HAS A NEW BOOK OUT. TO ORDER, CALL 518-459-3336.

ITS $35.00 I THINK.

VICTORIA

[] Moist conditions can cause problem

Friday, October 21, 2005

The mold menace

Moist conditions can cause problem

Poughkeepsie,NY

By Maserjian Shan

For the Poughkeepsie Journal

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20051021/LIFE07/510210309/1005/LIFE

For years, VeNona Berglund suffered with migraine headaches, itching

on her face and body and diarrhea. Her doctor gave her anti-fungal

medicines to combat the illnesses and she restricted her diet. They

didn't help much.

Then her doctor asked her if she had mold in her Saugerties house.

She did. Her husband cleaned out whatever mold he could see, but her

illnesses persisted.

" You could smell it, " Berglund said, although she and her family

didn't see any mold.

" I was to the point where I had sores on my body, was going into

respiratory stress, " Berglund said. Her doctor told her she had a

body-wide condition and to check her house for mold again.

This time she called in mold expert Rich Wasvary, owner of Expediant

in Hyde Park, who found mold in her basement. The room, damp from

occasional water leaks, had mold growing on stored cardboard and

books and other items, causing Berglund, her husband and her

daughter a range of discomforts since they all were sensitive to the

mold.

Expediant cleaned out the basement and the home's heating system,

installed a dehumidifier in the basement and put an air purifier

upstairs.

" My itching decreased in three days, " Berglund said. That was in

June. Now she isn't taking any medications at all and feels fine.

" The difference was getting my house cleaned, " she said.

While mold spores naturally are present in both indoor and outdoor

air, damp environments encourage the growth of mold, which can be a

real problem for infants, the elderly, people with immunity

disorders and others who are sensitive to it, causing or triggering

respiratory difficulties, sinus infections or worse. Aside from

that, mold damages whatever surface it grows on - whether it's wood,

paper, fabrics, leaves or something else - as its function is to

decompose organic matter.

" Mold is in 100 percent of all buildings, " said Selig,

manager of HomeTeam Inspection, based in Clifton Park, Saratoga

County, with a branch office in Poughkeepsie. " There's no building I

can go into and not find visible mold regardless of the age,

condition or how well maintained it is. "

Should there be a problem with excessive mold, the likely culprit is

a problem with water, Selig said, since mold grows on organic matter

in damp environments.

" Moisture is the enemy, " said Wasvary.

Mold can grow on organic surfaces with 8 percent or higher moisture

levels and in areas with a relative humidity of 55 percent or more,

he said. Most often, it is found in basements, crawl spaces and

attics of old and new homes.

Not on inorganic matter

Mold seeks out the sugars in organic matters and won't grow on

inorganic matter, like rocks and stones, Selig said.

" The gypsum inside drywall is not a food, but the paper that's on

the gypsum is a food, " he said. " It's a misnomer to think that the

mold will grow through a piece of drywall, but if there's enough

moisture on the other side of the drywall - the other side of the

gypsum - the mold will grow there, too. "