Guest guest Posted September 25, 2008 Report Share Posted September 25, 2008 Did thay do any outdoor samples to compare with your indoor ones? Carl Grimes is the expert that will be able to help you more on this one. As far as feeling like your dreaming it all up, dont feel alone. We all do in the begining. Hold on to your seat there is much to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 25, 2008 Report Share Posted September 25, 2008 All mold sampling is rife with errors and failures to find mold spores. Mold organisms are composed of much more than just the seeds (spores). The components of mold organisms include enzymes, mycotoxins, proteins, VOCs, proteinases and others yet to be discovered. But mold sampling can only detect the spores. Wall cavity sampling is even more unreliable. Comparison of samples from different locations can be helpful but cannot determine " safe " or " unsafe. " Each individual is different and those already sensitized can react to extremely low levels of any mold to which they are sensitized. So comparisons can also be less than helpful. And I don't know what a " normal " person is. Dangerous? I'd like to see what the " apprentice " considers " dangerous. " BTW, what is a DR? Wall cavity samples are almost always analyzed by microscopy, not culturing. But the results you state appear to be from culturing. This is confusing to me. As for your confusion, I fully understand. This is not a simple issue like radon or asbestos. Mold is not a single object but is a whole kingdom of objects. The increasingly used descriptions are for water damage and dampness and all the diffenent substances involved. Mold is but one of them. The remedy is to clean and to keep dry. Very simple in principle but can be complex in the execution. I realize this is only an overview or framework. But to get specific to you requires a specific inspection and assessment or your situation. It doesn't sound like you got that, just mold samples. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- > So I got my wall cavity samples back but unfortunatly the DR that did > them is on vacation and his " apprentice " says they arent dangerous. I > was wondering if anyone could tell me what they mean and what > the " normal " levels would be. It tested for 700 penicillum, 250 > aspergillus versicolor(?) and 300 aspergillus sydowii. The > matching " clean " sample measured 733 penicillum and 237 aspergillus. Is > this enough to make " normal " people sick? I still feel as though Im > dreaming up our symptoms. I had a mold antibody test done and it came > back normal <35. Does that mean that Im not " contaminated " ? All this > stuff confuses me. Thanks for any info that can be provided! > > > ------------------------------------ > > FAIR USE NOTICE: > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 Carl, Forgive me if I am butting in on your territory. I have had this mess thrown in my face before. Aren't " wall samples " only the air that is contained between the studs where the air sample was taken? So, if you hit the wrong stud, then the sample could be reasonably acceptable if mold isn't in that particular area? What is, say, nine feet away, there is black slimy mold growing in that wall cavity, but because the drywall is nailed to studs every 18-24 " , the mold is contained in that area, but your tester did not suck air from that particular area, wouldn't the " real " amount of true mold not show up on the test? Also, I have beaten my head against a wall trying to get information on what " normal " mold levels are and I am unable to find anything in writing except some levels of mold, for example stachy are unacceptable at all indoors. Not only that, but if outside samples were taken, doesn't it matter where the equipment was set up and also the time of the day since in the late afternoon and evening spores outside rise? Please excuse this post if it is off base and please correct me if my statement has no validity at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 I have a suggestion, Carl and Jeffery Mayes have thier books on Amozon that have some great information on healthy homes. Jeffery has several but this will get you started. These are authers that are members and well respected and trusted here is why I feel comfortable in the suggestion. http://www.amazon.com/Mold-Survival-Guide-Your-Health/dp/080187937X%3FSubscripti\ onId%3D1KDHEGDEXZNBKYAEECR2%26tag%3Dmsnspaces04-20%26linkCode%3Dsp1%26camp%3D202\ 5%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D080187937X http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Points-Healthy-Habitat-Grimes/dp/096715250X%3FSub\ scriptionId%3D1KDHEGDEXZNBKYAEECR2%26tag%3Dmsnspaces04-20%26linkCode%3Dsp1%26cam\ p%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D096715250X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 A few months ago Jeff May brought up the difficulty of catching stachybotrys spores in spore trap air sampling. He said that basically, stachybotrys can be thriving, growing very well in a wall cavity, and no spores come off, so no stachybotrys would show up on spore air tests unless there had been a mouse or bug scurrying through the cavity at exactly the right moment to knock some spores off of the mold mat. And the chances of that are slim. Meanwhile, fungal fragments do end up causing toxins to migrate into the living space and people do get sick. But tests done at that time would show nothing as far as stachybotrys goes (although they could easily show other species of mold) On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 12:34 AM, Carl E. Grimes <grimes@...> wrote: > All mold sampling is rife with errors and failures to find mold > spores. Mold organisms are composed of much more than just > the seeds (spores). The components of mold organisms include > enzymes, mycotoxins, proteins, VOCs, proteinases and others > yet to be discovered. But mold sampling can only detect the > spores. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2008 Report Share Posted September 26, 2008 Stacky was so bad in my home that it showed up in air testing. Unfortunately, I was too uneducated about mold at the time I didn't really know what it meant. Plus the environmentalists did not tell me enough about it. He didn't seem alarmed that stacky was in the air, but in the last several years, I have written that off to HIS stupidity as well. But, as previously noted, Stacky is a very wet mold and it does not normally show up in air sampling. We did, however, do a swab test and it showed it's pretty face again when all the mold returned after remediation. > From: LiveSimply <quackadillian@...> > Subject: Re: [] wall cavity samples > > Date: Friday, September 26, 2008, 4:11 PM > A few months ago Jeff May brought up the difficulty of > catching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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