Re: RE : News - Residents Say Toxic Mold Making Them Sick

[Guest guest]

I wonder what the mold plate results were. Did the plates look

completely full of mold, coated completely? It depends on how long

they let them incubate. I guess the lab in Florida said the count was

too high. That was probably ProLab, since they are in Florida.

Prolab has always given my house passing marks. It was the plates

from Dallas that detected alot of mold but it was a different culture

media.

I thought having the ProLab plates out there would get more exposure

for mold problem, and get more people paying attention to mold.

However if professional testing turns out to show results were not

accurate, then could be bad.

>

> That was FABULOUS! I saw it on the news tonight.

> Those folks were smart and had home mold testing kits to hold up

to the

> camera - which we know does not lie! The kits showed large areas

of mold

>

[Guest guest]

Barb, the mold plates were full of mold. I also saw it on the 11 pm news here

in Mass. You can go to this link to check it out: a little down on the right

the lady is holding the petri dish. Darlene

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13943700/detail.html

barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote: I wonder

what the mold plate results were. Did the plates look

completely full of mold, coated completely? It depends on how long

they let them incubate. I guess the lab in Florida said the count was

too high. That was probably ProLab, since they are in Florida.

Prolab has always given my house passing marks. It was the plates

from Dallas that detected alot of mold but it was a different culture

media.

I thought having the ProLab plates out there would get more exposure

for mold problem, and get more people paying attention to mold.

However if professional testing turns out to show results were not

accurate, then could be bad.

>

> That was FABULOUS! I saw it on the news tonight.

> Those folks were smart and had home mold testing kits to hold up

to the

> camera - which we know does not lie! The kits showed large areas

of mold

>

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

You can also go to the photos section and see a picture of another

petri dish covered full of black mold from my living room using the

settling method after only two days of incubation time. Still waiting

on lab results from Pro-Lab, Fl. (picture is titled Black mold from

home by gsgrl2000)

>

> Barb, the mold plates were full of mold. I also saw it on the 11

>

[Guest guest]

This is what I think is great about having ProLab out there at retail

stores, cheap and easy to get. Health Dept said everything is okay.

Before ProLab that would be that. Now people can test themselves. It

gives them some power. Even if ProLab interpret tests wrong or person

uses plates wrong and panic ensues for no reason, better than it is

right now..panic should be ensueing at many places but there is none

since people are lied to. I have not had trouble with ProLab plates

but mentioning this as people would want to know EXACTLY what's in

their houses don't trust ProLab but as a first step for average person

trying to determine if their house can have problem, I think it's

great.

--- In , Darlene <darlenesb2000@...>

wrote:

>

> Barb, the mold plates were full of mold. I also saw it on the 11 pm

news here in Mass.

[Guest guest]

Oh no...that is a bad looking plate for only two days!!! I trust you

are not there any more!

Yes, that is a very bad looking result. Look like all the same type

type which is significant since it would indicate a colony in house or

nearby. If it was from outside air getting into house there would be

a great variety of molds in plates, many different colors. You've got

a problem alright! Sorry to see this. How long did you live there?

Is this your home that you need to sell or an apartment and you can

move?

My attic gets results like this and attic air was able to get down

into house from air leakage places but tests inside house did not grow

much in two days time, but you could 'smell' attic air in house. I

can NOW. Before I could smell it but was ignoring it as an " old house

smell " , as people describe now when they smell it and I call attention

to it. I say " do you smell it? " , and they say 'no' at first and then

they say,... " well house has an 'old house smell'. " However in winter

there is no 'old house smell' and attic has that smell only magnified,

so 'old house smell' is/= attic air that gets down into house.

> >

> > Barb, the mold plates were full of mold. I also saw it on the 11

> >

[Guest guest]

I was looking at that last night. Is this the Lab that most use to send out

their samples. Darlene

gsgrl2000 <gsgrl2000@...> wrote: You can

also go to the photos section and see a picture of another

petri dish covered full of black mold from my living room using the

settling method after only two days of incubation time. Still waiting

on lab results from Pro-Lab, Fl. (picture is titled Black mold from

home by gsgrl2000)

>

> Barb, the mold plates were full of mold. I also saw it on the 11

>

[Guest guest]

I have heard lots of bad things and no good things that I can remember about

them.

[Guest guest]

This is the apartment my family owns, that my daughter and I moved

into back in 1995. It's a first floor unit, two beds, about 1200 sq.

ft. The dish is from the living room and I had already had the living

room tested back in 2005 by a professional mold company. Been trying

to find somewhere else to go but don't have the money. I called the

city but they won't take any action unless the mold is visible.

My family won't help and don't think there's much of a problem. The

only thing the did to " fix " the mold was suggested by the city

inspector and that was to remove the carpet, bleach the walls and

paint so that all they've done.

I could have sued back in 2005 but thought suing my family,

especially my 90yr. old grandmother who is the owner, would be

morally wrong but now I'm having regrets about that decision because

they are still refusing to help us get out of here and don't want

to " fix " the mold problems that were caused by the old pipes and

flooding.

My daughter has been staying at my mother's for the past two months.

I was there for about a month but I am just as sick being there as I

am here. I think she has mold problems, too.

I am on waiting lists for other apartments and the housing

authorities are not excepting any more applications for sec. 8

vouchers. So I'm pretty much stuck. Plus I'm in the middle of my

disability case which is in appeals, right now.

So three separate tests done and all three tests are positive for

high levels of toxic mold yet my family, once I do get out of here,

is planning on renting this place out. I've warned them not to but

they won't listen. I've told them they need to disclose the mold

issue to any new tenant otherwise they will have a major lawsuit on

their hands.

As of right now I'm still here, I have no money to move. Haven't

worked in four years. I'm living off of $584 a month and about $200

in food stamps. What the heck do they expect us to do? How do they

expect us to live; sick and being abused by the system with no

support from anyone?

I've been leaving all the windows open with fans blowing to air it

out. I cleaned out my daughter's room and washed everything down with

white vinegar, so I sleep in there with the windows open and the fan

going. The biggest problem in the house is the wood floors, they are

cover with black mold. I thought once they were sanded down when they

refinished them after removing the carpet the mold would stay gone

but it came back after a year. But I'm also sure it's in the wall

cavities as well from the leaks in the walls and from the roof. This

place needs to be condemned!

sorry it's so long....

>

> Oh no...that is a bad looking plate for only two days!!! I trust

you

> are not there any more!

[Guest guest]

gsgirl,

That is a very bad situation. You shouldn't be anywhere where you

would get culture plate results like that with just a few days

incubation time. The culture plate results you show are worse than

the ones shown in news just posted.

Did you send them to ProLab and if so, what did their report say? I

know it costs $30 for results to be analyized so perhaps you did not

send them, but sending one might be worth it to show to your

family. My experience is that ProLab do not overstate the mold

situation. I had house that was making me sick but ProLab did not

think mold levels were overly high but I may have been taking them

in winter and my problem is in summer. I can't remember now since I

switched to another company for mold plates.

If you are getting 584.00 a month for welfare and 200.00 for food

stamps but they are keeping you locked into their housing, I know

this may not sound possible but couldn't you get a low paying job

that would do as well as 584 a month that was a sit down job like

library, checking out books, or similar type. If you are able to

say you are working, you can chose an apartment and have control

over your own life. Of course, it is a BIG search to find a healthy

apartment...I just went through that. Although you wouldn't make

much money there are inexpensive places to live that are healthy.

Hard to find but staying where you are is a losing situation. If

your family will not fix it and even if they decided to, the cost

may change their minds again if they are not sick with mold illness

and don't believe you . You know if they ask questions, most people

will say it doesn't cause people to be ill, so waiting for that to

change, is like waiting for a train that is not even on it's way and

may never be.

I believe if you are working, you can still get food stamps, if I'm

not mistaken if your income is below a certain amount.

Regarding moldy wood floor. Possibly putting down some sort of

sealant down over it, clear shellac of some sort to keep it and you

separate from mold, what would be called an 'encapsulant'?? It

would protect floor and make it easier to clean. Look for a non-

toxic product. That would be healthier. Get your landlord/family's

permission to do it in writing in case they want to say you 'ruined'

floor or something, i.e. you are doing 'business' with your family

so do it like you would with a stanger. I've seen family members

seuing each other on Judge Judy all the time and your family doesn't

sound very understanding, at least about this.

--- In , " gsgrl2000 " <gsgrl2000@...>

wrote:

>

> This is the apartment my family owns, that my daughter and I moved

[Guest guest]

GSgirl,

You say you are on the ground floor. Is there a basement under your

apartment, a crawlspace, or a concrete slab?

Could you walk around a take a bunch of digital pictures and put them on a

photo sharing site so we can see exactly what you are dealing with?

barb, you should read " nickel and dimed " I think its called, by barbara

ehrenreich.. I don't think many people realize how difficult it is for poor

people to escape that situation.. ESPECIALLY single parents..

gsgirl, I do agree with what she said, though about the way the welfare

system seems designed to trap people in a rut of poverty and dependence..

the less you can involve yourself with the state the better... seriously..

But you need health insurance.. both you and your daughter.. thats really

important...

You seem like you are articulate and can read and write and spell.. and use

a computer, that may not mean much in california but elsewhere it sort of

deliniates the difference between the exttremely low paid and the simply low

paid.. you might consider moving out of the state.. or up north or maybe

even south.. seriously... the LA area in particular is a really nasty

place.. life is so cheap there... you are just an ant...

Do you have a working car and can you drive?

[Guest guest]

Yes, I've sent the dish to Pro-Lab and I'm waiting for the results.

They do have low income apartments here that are new buildings that

I'm on the waiting list for. Hopefully I can get into one of the new

ones that are still being built. The floors have a sealant on them

already. I would go find another job but I'm in the middle of my

disability case and if I go back to work before it's over the case

will be thrown out. As sonn as my case is over I won't be stuck

living on $584 a month. I'll either win my case which will mean I

would get residual pay from 2004 or if I don't win my case I'll have

to go back to work even though my doctors say that I'm too sick to

work; I won't have a choice.

[Guest guest]

Live,

There's crawlspace underneath. And yes, I am fully aware of the

system and how they can keep people trapped. I worked for the school

district out here in the child development department where we worked

with low income families. We had a lot of programs for teen moms and

single parents, etc. I know how to get off. I'm not as bad of as most

who are on it. I'm only dealing with it until I can get my case

resolved.

Your right L.A. is tough and expensive and I'll be free to move

anywhere once my case is resolved and/or I'm able to go back to work.

And about a car, my ex-husband stole it back in June and crashed it

into five other parked cars (completely totalled). The police are

looking for him. So, as for now, I have no car.

[Guest guest]

GSgirl,

Are you aware of the MANY issues with 'crawlspaces' ? Any crawlspace that

has dirt under it is going to have mold. How is the integrity of the

building envelope, which is the border between the indoor spaces and the

outdoor/crawlspace unconditioned air.

The exterior wall, which in your case would include the floor under your

building, above the crawlspace.

Does the cralspace have a vapor barrier between it and the apartment

building and between it and damp earth? There aren't any holes or

penetrations, are there, say for plumbing or cable TV/phone wires, etc. that

are not sealed?

Can you get down there and send us some photos of the inside of the crawl

space, particularly the floor of your apartment building (its ceiling)

situation?

[Guest guest]

GSgirl,

Go to this URL and download all the PDF files there, especially the fifth

and *sixth* ones.. which tell how tiny fungal particles can travel

throughout a building through tiny holes in walls, driven by the normal

pressure differences between areas in wood structures..

http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2003/isbn9512267756/

Dont be scared by the math, just read the text, which summarizes it...

Save those files.. you may need them later...

[Guest guest]

I don't think it is a good idea for her to get down into crawl space

if she is sick. She can't do anything about crawlspace conditions

anyway.

She can caulk or seal up any perforations or cracks in apartment

interior to keep air from coming from spaces that are unclean from

getting into her apartment. She could do that without making

herself more sick.

Also remember in summer air flow is down. In winter, it is up, so

right now attic air is moving down into building. In winter

crawlspace air would move up into building.

[Guest guest]

I have to amend my own post. I'm used to basements which are closed

off from outside. Since a crawlspace is vented to outside, it is an

unconditioned space and unconditioned air will move into conditioned

air spaces so she could be getting air from any direction in that

case. Only thing that she can do is to seal off her apartment from

contamination from wall cavities of building by going from room to

room and taking each wall and ceiling space, floor space at a time

and examining it for areas where air can come in from wall and

building cavities, caulking around door and window frames,

electrical outlets, plumbing pipes (usually big holes around

those). Seal shell of apartment so only opening is from windows

that are open to outside if you don't have a/c running.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> GSgirl,

>

> Are you aware of the MANY issues with 'crawlspaces' ?

[Guest guest]

GSgirl,

Barb is right in that if you look down there you need to be careful. But I

DO think you NEED to see whats down there and maybe take samples to get them

tested if you see visible mold.

Barb,

What you are recommending (caulking) is often not enough. Read the articles

at the URL I posted earlier.

[Guest guest]

I do know about crawlspaces and no I can't get under there to take

PIC. I maybe able to get someone else to do it. The space underneath

the house has dirt on the bottom with barely enough space between to

the underside of the apartment (under my floor). There are pipes for

for the whole building's water system attached to the underneath part

at the top of the crawl space. Basically all the pipes run underneath

my unit.

Since the building is so old (almost 60yrs. old) I don't believe it

has much of anything but the structural wood, pipes and dirt; not

much of a barrier.

I believe much of my mold problem is coming from underneath my unit

with the old pipes (they've never been replaced). And there's been a

smell of mold under there for the past three years.

It would be great if I could get PIC and go under there myself to see

just how bad the pipes are and the wood is. I know there's been leaks

and I'm sure there are cracks in the pipes.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> GSgirl,

>

> Are you aware of the MANY issues with 'crawlspaces' ? Any

crawlspace that

> has dirt under it is going to have mold. How is the integrity of the

> building envelope, which is the border between the indoor spaces

and the

> outdoor/crawlspace unconditioned air.

>

> The exterior wall, which in your case would include the floor under

your

> building, above the crawlspace.

>

> Does the cralspace have a vapor barrier between it and the apartment

> building and between it and damp earth? There aren't any holes or

> penetrations, are there, say for plumbing or cable TV/phone wires,

etc. that

> are not sealed?

>

> Can you get down there and send us some photos of the inside of the

crawl

> space, particularly the floor of your apartment building (its

ceiling)

> situation?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks LIVE,

My family needs to read this.... They don't understand how easy it is

for the mold to eat and seep up through the cracks in my wood floors

from underneath. Which is why I said this whole place needs to be

condemned... You can't just sand the mold away, which is what they

tried to do because it's coming from underneath the apartment not

just inside.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> GSgirl,

>

> Go to this URL and download all the PDF files there, especially the

fifth

> and *sixth* ones.. which tell how tiny fungal particles can travel

> throughout a building through tiny holes in walls, driven by the

normal

> pressure differences between areas in wood structures..

>

> http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2003/isbn9512267756/

>

> Dont be scared by the math, just read the text, which summarizes

it...

>

> Save those files.. you may need them later...

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Just to note: I have sealed as much as I can, so far but there are

still openings., however it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

> >

> > GSgirl,

> >

> > Are you aware of the MANY issues with 'crawlspaces' ?

>

[Guest guest]

GSgirl,

You may be able to reduce the amount of air circulating between the

crawlspace and your apartment but also be careful.

The area should be ventilated - ideally, you could add powered ventilation..

NOT a fan blowing in from outside, make sure if you add a fan in the

crawlspace it is a low powered fan that blows 24/7 from the crawlspace OUT.

And make sure there is NO standing water down there and no sources of water

from leaks or anything like that. It should be kept bone dry.

Don't go down there without PPE, which I think in the worst situations means

at least an N-100 particulate mask (the kind with the adhesive on the sides

that sticks to your face)

Did you read the papers at the URL

http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2003/isbn9512267756/

?

[Guest guest]

My husband needs to read this, too. Thnx for posting! I wondered how

yeast & mold was growing on backs of my oriental rugs, but thought it

was coming up through hard wood floor.

Hugs, Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Oh, and of course, they would need to clean any wood off completely

which had mold on it down there, and replace any wood that had

suffered structural damage..

[Guest guest]

GSgirl.. subfloors might also be a problem..

Which would mean ripping them out which would be a huge production,

I'd GUESS. (but I have NO experience in this so I don't know.. )

But I think (again, don't KNOW) that the crawlspace issues sound like

the ones with the greatest probability of being the most change of

being the most major health problem vector and should be addressed

first..

??

GSgirl, really, you need to have a pro analyze this situation.. I wish

that was within the realm of possibility..

Maybe one would help you out for trade or something... I dont know..