Clarification to: I doubt that anyone can give me a definate answer...

[Guest guest]

First I'd like to thank you all for your thoughts and comments...

The following are some answers to your responses to help clarify the

situation...

1. In my original posting I said: " the concenus between all that I spoke to was

to do through inspection and air quality testing, which I did and that all

turned out well within normal ranges... "

What I meant was: We did a full inspection of the building inside and out

looking for any indictation of water intrusion or leaks and none were found. The

indoor Air-O-Cell samples did not show any elevation in spore counts from the

outside sample. (I did this more to make sure there were other issues <except

for the carpets> and I wanted to know the levels of spore count prior to ripping

up the carpets... but I agree with you totally that the counts don't really

matter. If I'm reacting, I'm reacting.)

2. Carl stated: Ventilation is most useful for chemicals,fragrances and odors

because they are molecules in the air and

air is the same sized molecules. They move with the air and generally don't

settle on surfaces like dust does. Mold and dust are particles, which are

thousands of times larger and heavier than molecules. What this means is the

particles don't ventilate out of the house with the air very well, even with

fans running. Particles will travel with air but tend to settle out of the air

and accumulate onto surfaces like dust on tables or " dust bunnies " behind the

table. Particles are best removed by dusting or vacuuming.

My clarification: From my understanding after the carpets, sofas (they were as

old as the carpets) and curtains were removed all surfaces (floors walls,

ceilings, window trim and furniture) were HEPA vac-ed (I'll have to ask about if

it was a true HEPA filter) and all the hard surfaces were wiped down (uhmmm..

but I'm not sure with what... I'll have to check that out too)

And I got a question: Aren't mycotoxins smaller and spores?... Would ventilation

help remove them if they're floating aroun in the air?

3. said: Good, but did you cover everything in the room, seal off the

other rooms when doing so?

My response: I told them that I wanted them to do that but they decided not

to... So I sealed off my room and had my air-purifier running the whole time

that I've been gone.

4. 's comment: 25 year old carpet? Geesh, it needs to be replaced every 10

years.

My response: Yea, I know.. but it's not place... and my parents are in their

80's with very limited income.

5. Carl mentioned: You can dampen it with water so the dust is heavy and doesn't

become airborne. You can cover it with contractors plastic (thin and sticky on

one side).

My response: I told them that I wanted to do this too and they told me I was

making a mountain out of a mole hill... Yea, now look where I am.

6. Carl also said: The pad is often more " dusty " than the carpet because it

deteriorates and the dirt is impacted into it and below it.

My response: Actually, since their house has radiant floor heat, when my parents

purchased they did some a little unusual... They had the edges bond and didn't

get any padding... They said it was because they didn't want to hinder the

heating process and they wanted to be able to clean under the carpet... but I

don't remember them ever doing that.

7. Barb said: Yes, the padding was much more difficult for me to remove. I had

to roll up this huge thing and drag it outside, like an ant dragging a cheese

sandwich. I was sooo tired and it got dusty. I just wore a mask and had to do

it.

My comment: OMG... I bearly have any energy after taking a shower... I wish I

could have done it myself... I'm sure I would have had a different outcome.

8. I asked in separate post: After we get the house to were I don't react

anymore, we are planning on placing area rugs in a few rooms... I don't think I

have MCS but I want to be as cautious has possible for obvious reasons... Can

anyone give me info on materials to avoid, places to shop or anything else that

might be helpful?

To clarify: Besides wanting to cover the ugly exposed floors... Dr. Shoemaker

told me that he will not allow me to continue with he's prtocol unless I do

another ERMI (and the results must be a -1 or better)... and I've been told, by

the lab that I used for the previous ERMI, that I need a rug to vaccum after

it's been in place for at least 10 weeks to do the sample.

So in conculsion; I'm currently staying with my daughter while I recuperate... I

am starting to feel better... Tomorrow, I'm going to have my daughter go by the

house and see if they are using fans to ventilate... I'm going to call my sister

(I left her in charge of the project while I was gone) and I'll ask her about

the products that were used for the cleanup (the HEPA filter and what was used

for the wipe down)and go I'll go over the other suggestions that we've given

me...I'm thinking that I won't try returning again until I feel well for a

couple of days in a row (I'm guessing that should take a week to ten days <based

on past history>)...

Should I react again, I have a couple of options running through my head... I'll

list them from lowest cost to highest

a. Depending on the products used... I'll ask them to HEPA and wipe down again

(using true HEPA filter and Borax solution).

b. Fog house with a product such as Moldrx or MoldControl.

c. Hire a inspector who has a mold detecting dog.

What do you guys (and gals) think?

Thanks again,

Bonnie