Scared please help me, so lost

[Guest guest]

Some man that was in my house the other day fixing something scared the hell out

of me! He said he can sense mold in my house and that there must be standing

puddles of water in my basement?

I am from ontario canada would mold only be a problem here in the summer as it

freezes in the basement in the winter?

My basement is a crawl space like 3 feet and im sure its easy for water to get

down there but im not sure if it would cause actual puddles?

What are the chances on toxic mold growing in a basement like this? This is a

really old house! I have noticed bits of mold in the bathroom nothing crazy tho.

One thing i am scared about is i have

Personality disorders

Anxiety

Lethargy

Stuffed Nose

But the truth is i had these before eve nwhen i lived in a bran new house as a

child and in my early 20s ive always had this issues so i can't say the toxic

mold caused them not that i know its toxic anyway

There is so much confusing information on the internet about it I just want to

know the chances on my basement creating toxic mold because water can get

through? I have seen rats down there! I am freaking out someone help me im so

scared

[Guest guest]

What that man did was grossly irresponsible. He is creating fear.

Claiming he is " sensing mold " is not enough to justify anything

other than a responsible method of determining whether there is

a mold " problem " or not. Mere presence is usually not a problem

because mold is present everywhere all the time. If someone has

been extremely sensitized, like many on this group, then even the

typical background molds can cause reactions. But that is

different than a crawlspace or any other feature of a building

causing reactions.

The fact that a crawlspace " could " collect water puddles does not

mean that it " has " collected water puddles. But that is easy to

check.

The ultimate test is whether you are reactive to the house our not.

You clearly stated your symptoms and complaints existed long

before you moved into this house and that previous houses were

much newer and (presumably) healthier.

If you are not experiencing anything different in this house I'd tell

him to go jump in the lake and stay submerged until it freezes

over!

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

Some man that was in my house the other day fixing something

scared the hell out of me! He said he can sense mold in my

house and that there must be standing puddles of water in my

basement?

I am from ontario canada would mold only be a problem here in

the summer as it freezes in the basement in the winter?

My basement is a crawl space like 3 feet and im sure its easy for

water to get down there but im not sure if it would cause actual

puddles?

What are the chances on toxic mold growing in a basement like

this? This is a really old house! I have noticed bits of mold in the

bathroom nothing crazy tho.

One thing i am scared about is i have

Personality disorders

Anxiety

Lethargy

Stuffed Nose

But the truth is i had these before eve nwhen i lived in a bran new

house as a child and in my early 20s ive always had this issues

so i can't say the toxic mold caused them not that i know its toxic

anyway

There is so much confusing information on the internet about it I

just want to know the chances on my basement creating toxic

mold because water can get through? I have seen rats down

there! I am freaking out someone help me im so scared

_

[Guest guest]

Don't be scared. From your post, it does not sound like you are

experiencing any new symptoms of ill health that can be correlated with residing

to

your current abode. Or are you saying these symptoms have recently started

again?

I am not certain what the man means when he says he can " sense mold " . I

would assume this means he is one who has a heightened awareness of symptoms

when he enters damp environment where contaminants have possibly grown.

(maybe like a Mold Dog?)

If you think there is a possibility that your home is causing a new onset

of the symptoms of anxiety, lethargy and nasal congestion (which are indeed

symptoms that are frequently attributed to these types of exposures), then

do a little investigation to determine if your suspicions are justified

that your abode is a location of causation.

Go away of a couple of days and see if your symptoms change. Come back

and see if they change again. If you find that your health changes when you

are away or back, then the next step could be to look for water leaks or

residuals of water leaks that have not been properly remediated. Try to get

access to the CLUE report on the property to see if any insurance claims for

water damage have been made. That would give you a good idea of where to

look for the problem within the structure if your mold theory looks like it

is panning out.

Document your concerns and findings so that you can share them with your

landlord should your suspensions pan out.

Be aware that mold is not the only thing in an indoor environment that can

cause the symptoms you describe. As an example, sometimes, chemicals in

carpet glue, etc., can also cause these types of symptoms.

But please, do not be scared based solely on a person saying they sense

mold in your home in conjunction with all you read on the Internet. Given

your preconditioned symptoms, if you feel worse when in this property and

markedly better when you are away from it, then there is a good chance that it

is not in your best interest to reside there, no matter what may be in the

environment that is exacerbating your symptoms.

Hope these ideas of how to investigate and tease out an answer, help.

There are logical answers to your questions, so don't be scared. There are a

lot of well informed people on this group that can help you to find

your answers based on their knowledge of the matter.

Sharon

-----

Some man that was in my house the other day fixing something

scared the hell out of me! He said he can sense mold in my

house and that there must be standing puddles of water in my

basement?

I am from ontario canada would mold only be a problem here in

the summer as it freezes in the basement in the winter?