Re: Remediation - what do I do now?

[Guest guest]

The exterior of your home is bare, unfinished wood????? It's a wonder it's not

totally covered in mold. The green stuff, could it be algae? There are so many

problems there, wouldn't a trailer or mobile home in good condition have been

cheaper than a stationery home in that condition?

>

> My bedrooms are well sealed off & smell moldy- especially the Master. It

hasn't rained since the beginning of July & before that a sprinkle in June. It's

bone dry & the bedroom was so bad today that the contractor was dizzy in about

30 seconds. He checked the attic insulation for mold - nothing. The crawl has no

insulation but spots of white mold ? & green on the ceiling, if that's what you

call it- the bottom of the subfloor I guess it is. The outside of the house is

moldy. There is nothing but 1/4 sheets of hardwood (unfinished) on the outside

of the house. Instead of plywood & then siding it just has that wood. The bottom

3 feet of that wood is moldy to the other side. When you pry that off there's no

housewrap - just the insulation which, BTW, has no mold on it. (Not that I would

keep it). The floors are plywood, a layer of tar paper & more plywood. That's

what sits on the joists - & no insulation - thank goodness. Could that tar paper

have caused the mold ? I guess the thing to do is remove all the flooring, the

moldy outside wood, the walls to the studs. Is there any hope ? I just can't go

back to being homelessness with severe MCS.

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Before you rip the place apart, make sure that you do not have shrews nesting.

These are mouse-like creatures that create unbelievably musty odors. The odor

can be moldy or almost skunk-like. The strength of the odor depends on the wind

direction and can vary from almost nothing to overpowering.

Have someone look for brown, crescent-shaped droppings, about a half-inch long

and an eight inch wide.They can get into a crawl space through a mouse-sized

hole.The droppings can be in large piles or spread out along a trail.

Shrews eat mice, have a neurotoxic bite. They smell so bad that few other

animals will even eat them.

Shrews eat meat so you trap them with beef jerky in a mouse trap.

We have seen almost 50 infestations in the last few years; never heard of them

before! Something changed in the environment.

May

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

Tyngsborough, MA

www.mayindoorair.com

>

> My bedrooms are well sealed off & smell moldy- especially the Master. It

hasn't rained since the beginning of July & before that a sprinkle in June. It's

bone dry & the bedroom was so bad today that the contractor was dizzy in about

30 seconds. He checked the attic insulation for mold - nothing. The crawl has no

insulation but spots of white mold ? & green on the ceiling, if that's what you

call it- the bottom of the subfloor I guess it is. The outside of the house is

moldy. There is nothing but 1/4 sheets of hardwood (unfinished) on the outside

of the house. Instead of plywood & then siding it just has that wood. The bottom

3 feet of that wood is moldy to the other side. When you pry that off there's no

housewrap - just the insulation which, BTW, has no mold on it. (Not that I would

keep it). The floors are plywood, a layer of tar paper & more plywood. That's

what sits on the joists - & no insulation - thank goodness. Could that tar paper

have caused the mold ? I guess the thing to do is remove all the flooring, the

moldy outside wood, the walls to the studs. Is there any hope ? I just can't go

back to being homelessness with severe MCS.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I can't afford to side the whole house either. I'll just do the bottom that gets

splashback. I may not replace the insulation after I remove the mold. Under the

circumstances it might be the way to go.

With my MCS I'd have to gut just about anything. Rv's & mobile homes are very

prone to mold too. I'm away from neighbors (dryer sheets & other chemicals) so I

can BE on the property anytime I want - unlike places I've rented or even

National Forests I've stayed in where it was like living on the front lines

always ready to bolt from chemicals!

I don't know if the green is algea. I wouldn't go in there. The white is a sort

of mold I think. It's a powder now but I would think it'll re=grow when it gets

damp here again in winter.

>

> The exterior of your home is bare, unfinished wood????? It's a wonder it's

not totally covered in mold. The green stuff, could it be algae? There are so

many problems there, wouldn't a trailer or mobile home in good condition have

been cheaper than a stationery home in that condition?

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the heads-up. I wish I didn't have to rip the place apart. I do have

mice. I haven't seen a shrew. I didn't know they stink. I'll ask around to see

if they exist here. In the spring I had these tiny ants that stink. They are

meat-eaters & nest in pine needles. The formic acid makes them stink -

especially in spring. One part of my crawlspace smelled like a cross between

pesticides & propane. Something told me, since I put out ant traps, that I might

have enough dead ants to actually smell. Then when I first got one on me &

squished it, it STUNK. I knew I was right about the stench in that part of the

crawlspace.

The crawlspace just smells like soil mostly now & the attic doesn't smell like

anything really. I'm guessing it's in the walls of the bedrooms & maybe the mold

outside & in the crawlspace is a contributing factor. The master bedroom smells

a bit like a ton of stale cigarette smoke or an ashtray.

>

> ,

>

> Before you rip the place apart, make sure that you do not have shrews nesting.

These are mouse-like creatures that create unbelievably musty odors. The odor

can be moldy or almost skunk-like. The strength of the odor depends on the wind

direction and can vary from almost nothing to overpowering.

>

> Have someone look for brown, crescent-shaped droppings, about a half-inch long

and an eight inch wide.They can get into a crawl space through a mouse-sized

hole.The droppings can be in large piles or spread out along a trail.

>

> Shrews eat mice, have a neurotoxic bite. They smell so bad that few other

animals will even eat them.

>

> Shrews eat meat so you trap them with beef jerky in a mouse trap.

>

> We have seen almost 50 infestations in the last few years; never heard of them

before! Something changed in the environment.

>

> May

> May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

> Tyngsborough, MA

> www.mayindoorair.com

>

[Guest guest]

My aunts house had white powdery stuff on overhead beams in the basement. She

had clothes line criss crossing the ceiling where she hung wash to dry if she

couldn't outside. I never had it tested. It could be almost anything. I don't

think there are any toxic white molds though...but not sure.

>

> I don't know if the green is algea. I wouldn't go in there. The white is a

sort of mold I think. It's a powder now but I would think it'll re=grow when it

gets damp here again in winter.

>

[Guest guest]

My father had a white powdery one in his garage where I stored some stuff in a

move. There may have been another kind too I don't know.I think bringing my

stored stuff home is what started the downward spiral in my health. It was

really nasty stuff.

>

> My aunts house had white powdery stuff on overhead beams in the basement. She

had clothes line criss crossing the ceiling where she hung wash to dry if she

couldn't outside. I never had it tested. It could be almost anything. I don't

think there are any toxic white molds though...but not sure.

[Guest guest]

,

The moisture on unfinished wood caused the mold.

The tar paper won't be digested as food by the mold when new.

But after 20-30 years or so it dries out and I've seen mold and

bacteria have a feast on it.

You have more to fix than mold. As Dr Thrasher repeatedly posts

there is a multitude of what I call " filth " and that includes the

chemical components of the " filth. "

Although you are primarily chemically intolerant rather than mold

reactive you ought to take precautions for the chemicals which

the mold, the bacteria, and the water damaged wood is giving off.

Until you remove the water damage from the house (just putting

new siding over damaged wood won't work) or you remove

yourself from the house you will continue to be exposed and will

have a difficult time. The constant exposure will keep the body

reacting and overwhelming any medical/nutritional treatment.

Sorry to be so blunt but facts is facts.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

My bedrooms are well sealed off & smell moldy- especially the Master. It

hasn't rained since the beginning of July & before that a sprinkle in June.

It's bone dry & the bedroom was so bad today that the contractor was

dizzy in about 30 seconds. He checked the attic insulation for mold -

nothing. The crawl has no insulation but spots of white mold ? & green

on the ceiling, if that's what you call it- the bottom of the subfloor I guess

it is. The outside of the house is moldy. There is nothing but 1/4 sheets of

hardwood (unfinished) on the outside of the house. Instead of plywood &

then siding it just has that wood. The bottom 3 feet of that wood is moldy

to the other side. When you pry that off there's no housewrap - just the

insulation which, BTW, has no mold on it. (Not that I would keep it). The

floors are plywood, a layer of tar paper & more plywood. That's what sits

on the joists - & no insulation - thank goodness. Could that tar paper

have caused the mold ? I guess

----------

The following section of this message contains a file attachment

prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.

If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,

you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.

If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

---- File information -----------

File: DEFAULT.BMP

Date: 16 Jun 2009, 0:10

Size: 358 bytes.

Type: Unknown

[Guest guest]

Carl: I am beginning to believe that we need to be blunt and to the point.

Putting siding over existing water-damaged materials is encapsulating the

problem. I have been involved in situations where this has occurred. Stachy

was actually encapsulated. The occupants continue to adversely respond. They

must remove themselves from the environment and have the situation remediated

correctly. In this particular case, it will most likely involve demolishing the

home.

Re: [] Remediation - what do I do now?

,

The moisture on unfinished wood caused the mold.

The tar paper won't be digested as food by the mold when new.

But after 20-30 years or so it dries out and I've seen mold and

bacteria have a feast on it.

You have more to fix than mold. As Dr Thrasher repeatedly posts

there is a multitude of what I call " filth " and that includes the

chemical components of the " filth. "

Although you are primarily chemically intolerant rather than mold

reactive you ought to take precautions for the chemicals which

the mold, the bacteria, and the water damaged wood is giving off.

Until you remove the water damage from the house (just putting

new siding over damaged wood won't work) or you remove

yourself from the house you will continue to be exposed and will

have a difficult time. The constant exposure will keep the body

reacting and overwhelming any medical/nutritional treatment.

Sorry to be so blunt but facts is facts.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

My bedrooms are well sealed off & smell moldy- especially the Master. It

hasn't rained since the beginning of July & before that a sprinkle in June.

It's bone dry & the bedroom was so bad today that the contractor was

dizzy in about 30 seconds. He checked the attic insulation for mold -

nothing. The crawl has no insulation but spots of white mold ? & green

on the ceiling, if that's what you call it- the bottom of the subfloor I guess

it is. The outside of the house is moldy. There is nothing but 1/4 sheets of

hardwood (unfinished) on the outside of the house. Instead of plywood &

then siding it just has that wood. The bottom 3 feet of that wood is moldy

to the other side. When you pry that off there's no housewrap - just the

insulation which, BTW, has no mold on it. (Not that I would keep it). The

floors are plywood, a layer of tar paper & more plywood. That's what sits

on the joists - & no insulation - thank goodness. Could that tar paper

have caused the mold ? I guess

[Guest guest]

I am going to replace the wood & then put up siding. And gut the walls to the

studs. ...or demolish that side & live in the kitchen for the rest of my life

unable to work at home & afford food.

The tar paper is between the sub floor & the sub sub floor (I guess you call

it.) I will replace both layers of " floor " . I asked if the tar paper caused the

problem. I don't want to make the same mistake when I replace the subfloor by

putting tarpaper between the 2 layers of floor.

I would never just put a layer of material over the existing problem.

--- In , " Jack Thrasher, Ph.D. " <toxicologist1@...>

wrote:

>

> Carl: I am beginning to believe that we need to be blunt and to the point.

Putting siding over existing water-damaged materials is encapsulating the

problem. I have been involved in situations where this has occurred. Stachy

was actually encapsulated. The occupants continue to adversely respond. They

must remove themselves from the environment and have the situation remediated

correctly. In this particular case, it will most likely involve demolishing the

home.

>