Re: Stachybotrys is slimy

[Guest guest]

,

In my opinion it's not so much the mold that is slimy, but the

surface it is growing on. Long term dampness on the surface

where the Stachy is growing becomes slimy.

Stachybotrys is one of several molds which need long term

dampness to begin growing, so when it is present it is often on a

damp, slimy surface.

Why the slime? This is what gets to the heart of the AIHA

description of " filth caused by moisture. "

A damp spot will grow opportunistic mold and bacteria, dust

settles from the air and sticks to it, as do skin flakes from people,

pet dander, oils from skin and cooking, and thousands of other

" whatevers " including insect parts and rodent hairs. The whole

combination accumulates and decays creating a " Furr's

Cafeteria " of cheap food for mold and bacteria. Sometimes the

surfaces are slimy and when slimy is when you are most likely to

find Stachybotrys and other molds with similar ecological needs

for growth and reproduction.

Simply put, why do we need to know how much of the " filth " is

mold and how much of the mold is Stachybotrys? Clean and

remove the filth without spreading it around through the air

(containment) and by moving uncleaned contents. Stop the

moisture.

Most times it is exactly that simple. But the details of

accomplishing it can sometimes become difficult on multiple

surfaces, long-term rot, and inside the complexity of wall and

floor assemblies. Which is why most people on this group are so

sick that even the simple situations are now too much for their

bodies to handle successfully. But the principles are the same.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

I did a search on Google using the words--stachybotrys slimy--and I got

24,000 hits. There are many people who describe stachy as slimy. I

wonder if all molds feel slimy when wet or just certain types of molds

have that slimy feeling. The best advice---if you see slimy, wet mold,

don't touch it with your bare hands. Use personal protective equipment.

[Guest guest]

I saw the nasty stuff on the slimy pipes where I stayed for 3 weeks.  coated and

dripping black oozy stuff.  NASTY!!!  the pipe was laeking for 4yrs before i got

there.  Makes me mad!!

From: Carl E. Grimes <grimes@...>

Subject: Re: [] Stachybotrys is slimy

Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 4:06 PM

 

,

In my opinion it's not so much the mold that is slimy, but the

surface it is growing on. Long term dampness on the surface

where the Stachy is growing becomes slimy.

Stachybotrys is one of several molds which need long term

dampness to begin growing, so when it is present it is often on a

damp, slimy surface.

Why the slime? This is what gets to the heart of the AIHA

description of " filth caused by moisture. "

A damp spot will grow opportunistic mold and bacteria, dust

settles from the air and sticks to it, as do skin flakes from people,

pet dander, oils from skin and cooking, and thousands of other

" whatevers " including insect parts and rodent hairs. The whole

combination accumulates and decays creating a " Furr's

Cafeteria " of cheap food for mold and bacteria. Sometimes the

surfaces are slimy and when slimy is when you are most likely to

find Stachybotrys and other molds with similar ecological needs

for growth and reproduction.

Simply put, why do we need to know how much of the " filth " is

mold and how much of the mold is Stachybotrys? Clean and

remove the filth without spreading it around through the air

(containment) and by moving uncleaned contents. Stop the

moisture.

Most times it is exactly that simple. But the details of

accomplishing it can sometimes become difficult on multiple

surfaces, long-term rot, and inside the complexity of wall and

floor assemblies. Which is why most people on this group are so

sick that even the simple situations are now too much for their

bodies to handle successfully. But the principles are the same.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

I did a search on Google using the words--stachybotrys slimy--and I got

24,000 hits. There are many people who describe stachy as slimy. I

wonder if all molds feel slimy when wet or just certain types of molds

have that slimy feeling. The best advice---if you see slimy, wet mold,

don't touch it with your bare hands. Use personal protective equipment.

[Guest guest]

On the subject of color of stachybotras. I don't pay alot of attention to

stachy topic since I didn't have it in my house, but I heard it said that stachy

usually develops after other molds when wet conditions last longer or are

wetter, that many times other more common molds develop first and then if

conditions get worse, stachy. Could it be that the 'black' slim is a mixture of

molds by then, including some black type of mold, or some other filth, but the

stachy itself is not actually black. Could even be clear and you seeing a black

mold it has covered up. Just an idea of why most people have heard of stachy as

being black.

>

> I saw the nasty stuff on the slimy pipes where I stayed for 3 weeks.  coated

and dripping black oozy stuff.  NASTY!!!  the pipe was laeking for 4yrs before i

got there.  Makes me mad!!

[Guest guest]

Barb,

couple things I've noticed about this thread.

First, my input was to help others realize that the nomenclature used by many of

socalled professionals or trained people in our industry is flawed with

misinformation. That is a problem because it limits opportunity to make things

better.

If you want to do something right, I insist you/they know what they are saying.

If this group wants to learn how to help themselves, or get others to listen,

then the errors of the past (mis-information) must be understood. Attempts to

clarify and correct should be taken as a good thing. It is not an argument, it

is about accuracy.

Second, the 'black' or any color of a mold, is not because many types are in one

place. Colors are specific to the actual species of the mold, each mold does

grow with a typical color. My point was that sometimes there are changes in

appearance including color, often not understood by the scienctists. And that if

one limits a description to one thing and makes it common, example I used is

" slimy black " for something like Stachy, than we will miss identifying it when

it is dry or white or gray, etc.

I've seen hundreds of " expert professionals " and " knowledgable technicians " and

" trained contractors " and " housing experts " miss many types and conditions of

mold growth. I am not talking about mold in a petri dish, as one comment

thought.

When I show people what mold is that we are trying to remove, the MOST common

respons is " OH? That's what we're looking for? " or " That's mold " . Seriously,

I've trained thousands with real world examples, I am not exaggerating.

The problem is when the masses define the 'bad' molds as black, and then let all

the 'common shower molds' be thought of as acceptable, or making it seem there

is a limited finite group of some special molds that must be considered " TOXIC " ;

that is dangerous because as I've pointed out, it makes all the others seem

acceptable.

NO MOLD IS GOOD. PERIOD.

Thanx.

>

> On the subject of color of stachybotras. I don't pay alot of attention to

stachy topic since I didn't have it in my house, but I heard it said that stachy

usually develops after other molds when wet conditions last longer or are

wetter, that many times other more common molds develop first and then if

conditions get worse, stachy. Could it be that the 'black' slim is a mixture of

molds by then, including some black type of mold, or some other filth, but the

stachy itself is not actually black. Could even be clear and you seeing a black

mold it has covered up. Just an idea of why most people have heard of stachy as

being black.

>

>