Series examines why mold in buildings is such a serious matter

[Guest guest]

http://detnews.com/2002/homeimprovement/0208/10/e25-558256.htm

August 10, 2002

Series examines why mold in buildings is such a serious matter

By Glenn Haege / Special to The Detroit News

My staff and I got an interesting e-mail this spring. I wrote a story

about mold insurance claims and listed a mold called Stachybotrys as one of

the major culprits. The writer was furious that I had jumped on the

" lawyers' band wagon " and was promoting a problem that really didn't exist.

The writer's proof was that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) did

not list Stachybotrys as carcinogenic. He wanted me to prove my charges

against the innocent mold or write a retraction.

Many people think the " mold menace " is a mass hysteria the news media are

whipping up to sell newspapers and lawyers are using to promote unfounded

law suits.

The size and number of homeowners' mold claims have already led to a

revolution in the insurance industry causing many insurers to stop coverage

for mold damage.

What is the truth about mold in houses? Is this likely to become a

problem for you or is this just something scary that happens to other

people?

The severity of the problem

My e-mail friend would be surprised to know that the EPA not only

recognizes the mold problem, but thinks it is a big one. They have many

brochures on mold. One of them, " Biological Pollutants in Your Home " (EPA

Document reference No. 402-F-90-102), prepared by the American Lung

Association and the U.S. Consumer Products Commission, warns that " one-third

to one-half of all structures have damp conditions that may encourage

development of pollutants such as molds and bacteria, which can cause

allergic reactions -- including asthma and spread infectious diseases. "

This means that their research indicates that conditions in the

structures are ideal for mold growth. When you cut through the wording, the

key phrase is " one-third to one-half of all structures. " In other words, if

your house doesn't have a mold problem, the neighbor's house to the right of

you or the left of you probably does.

The fungus among us

Mold is just another name for fungi. It is essential to life because it

breaks down organic matter and permits it to be recycled. Yeasts that make

it possible for us to bake bread or make beer and cheese are in the fungi

family.

Molds are highly adaptable organisms. They can be single cells, like

yeast, or strings of cells called hyphae. Hyphae weave themselves into

clusters, called mycelium that are visible to the naked eye.

Mold spores germinate to form hyphae, which grow into a colony and create

more spores. If the climate is good, the cycle goes on forever and the mold

colony spreads and prospers. Over time, it sends out millions, maybe

billions, of mold spores that have the ability to establish new colonies.

If the climate turns bad, the fungi form thick-walled chlamydospores,

which can survive for years in hot dry climates then start the life cycle

all over again when proper conditions exist.

According to " Mold: Cause, Effect and Response " by the Foundation of the

Wall and Ceiling Industry, 69,000 different species of fungi have been

identified and there may be as many as 1.5 million different species. All

told, fungi (remember that is just another name for mold) represents

approximately 25 percent of the earth's biomass.

The problem

OK, molds are all over, but most are benign and we don't have to worry

about them. There are just a few bad apples, like Stachybotrys, that we have

to worry about. Right?

Wrong. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, " All molds have

the potential to cause long-term health effects. Molds produce allergens,

irritants, and in some cases, toxins that may cause reaction in humans. "

(Quoted from " Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings, " EPA No.

402-K-01-001.)

Potential mold dangers can be created by living mold, by the mycotoxins

(toxic substances) they produce, and even from dead mold cells.

Despite the potential danger, little practical research has been done on

mold in houses because it didn't seem to be a major problem until the past

20 or 30 years. Up until then, the perceived danger was considered to be

mold in food that we might accidentally eat.

The subject is so important that I am going to write a series of articles

explaining the science behind the " mold problem " over the next few months.

I'll go into detail about what you can do if a mold problem develops in your

house, the steps you may be able to follow to take care of the problem

yourself, and the kinds of organizations you may need to call if the problem

is too pervasive.

If you need more information right now, I have hot links to the Web

versions of all the documents I cited in this article on my Web site:

www.masterhandyman.com. In the mean time, keep your house dry and look for

future articles.

Important announcement: Starting today, I am on a new and far more powerful

radio station, 50,000-watt WDFN-AM (1130) in the Metro Detroit market. If

you couldn't listen before because the signal was too weak, you will be able

to hear me now. For do-it-yourself questions, call the " Ask the Handyman "

radio show 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday, (866) ASK GLENN. Listen on

WDFN and 194 other stations. To suggest a question for my Thursday " Ask

Glenn " articles, send it to the Ask Glenn, Master Handyman Press, Inc., P.O.

Box 1498, Royal Oak, MI 48068-1498, or e-mail askglenn@....

Include your name, city and phone number with the question. You'll find

answers to hundreds of remodeling questions on Haege's Web site at

www.masterhandyman.com.