mold free or just normal levels - was: TYPES OF MOLD THAT HAVE CAUSED SICKNESS

[Guest guest]

Summary:

Well, my opinion is ***everyone*** on this list should read what I have

posted, and fully understand it. I'll answer questions if you post to the

list. It's likely you have read half or more of this.

I doubt there is a single person on this list who has read " all " of

this before.

It took me years to get it all. " By-products " is likely new to most.

At 01:00 PM 5/13/2009, you wrote:

>Clearly one needs a mold free living environment,

Hmm, every breath you inhale has hundreds, if not thousands of spores,

from tens if not hundreds of mold species. " Mold Free " is for bubble people

whose immune system are NOT working, not merely compromised, or

over-reacting (most people on this list, imho).

You need constant inhalation of mold species' spores in order to

prevent future unbalanced immune system response. It's very

needed part of childhood and adult life. It's like the American

Indian getting exposed to chicken pox the first time. It killed

off over half the Indians within a few years. You do not want

that for yourself or your children.

What you want is " normal " mold levels, not artificially boosted

levels of mold of any one or more species due to weather

sealed homes, or colonies growing due to the presence

of constant moisture (water pipe leaks, rain leaks), and

adequate nutrient input (air borne particles enter your

walls interior due to cracks).

> but what about the environment outside the presumably mold-free

> home which inevitably will permeate into the home?

Always happens. As long as the inside mold species " counts "

match the outside, then you are fine. When the inside has

" higher " counts than outside, then somewhere a mold colony

of that species is growing, and growing, and growing, and

it's bad to let this growing continue. The colony should be

found, and it's mass removed, and surfaces scrubbed and

left with a mold inhibitor on it (borax, salt, etc).

Especially important is to also remove the source of moisture

and nutrients that mold colony was using. Without this removal

of both, the colony will, will, will come back, very quickly, within

weeks, certainly within a month or two.

And some colonies will regrow regardless. Why? The species

sends out " shoots " , tendrils, deep into wood, concrete, etc,

and they can be from 1/4 inch long, to 2 feet (typical),

and the rare species sends out tendrils 40 feet. These are

invisible to the naked eye. Scrubbing off them is not possible,

as they grow " into " the building material (thus replacement of

wood studs is common). And is the reason to put a mold

inhibit on all surfaces in the wall interior.

>Specifically I am trying to figure out if living by the ocean or in

>the mountains would be less problematic

Depends on the mold species. I am atypical. They say high desert, but

the mold I react is heat loving (grew in the attic in the desert -

Los Angeles).

So, I should not, not, not, move to the desert.

Instead, I live by the ocean. And doctors roll their eyes at this.

What the doctor does not know is the species I react is heat loving,

or thermophilic.

Point is, where to move to, depends on the 1 in 500,000+ mold species

you have become sensitized to. Or 2 or 3 or more.

Yes, it's not simple, but complex. The mold that made you sick, should

be not only visually have it's genre determined (there are 5 mold genre's),

but also it's species within the genre should be determined, like by DNA

analysis, if the visual inspect is " inadequate " (usually it is wrong 50-70%

of the time, unless it is by a VERY good scientist - only two exist and

they retired a few years back.)

>- all other variables remaining identical (of course that is not

>possible in real life, but if it were possible).

I recommend throwing away all possessions (like the doctors do),

and moving into a HEPA pressurized home, where external air

is cleaned, and pushed into the home, and forced out all cracks

and windows and doors. Thus, any mold growing in the walls,

floor or ceiling, will have it's mold spores and mycotoxic gasses

pushed outside, out of your indoor air.

Just be careful about the HEPA fan motor lube smell. I want a

HEPA with the motor outside of the clean air flow, a professional

unit, used in Central AC would be fine.

>I hope to hear from some of you folks who feel that MVOCs are an issue.

I can not comment on MVOC's. I can comment on mycotoxins, which

depending on mold species, can be the same thing.

Regarding mold genres and mold species within a genre that are

'pathogenic' to all animals, versus just one person being sensitized

to " normal " or even " low " levels in the air, and the mold by-products

(mycotoxic gas is just one by-product recently found to truly exist

where as before a 'gas' was not even suspected to come from mold)

that cause SBS, it's a 'range' within the genre of the species, as

not all species are dangerous/pathogenic. And then due to

genetic predisposition some species that the bulk of humans

do not react to, well the remainder of the humans might/would

have a pathogenic reaction, at low, medium or high levels,

either immediately or with chronic exposure.

It is this " complexity " that allows western med to " ignore " the situation,

as " too complex " for a practicing doctor to " diagnose " or " treat " , or

even to try to find a specialist for referral.