Breaking the mold

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Breaking the mold

Get to source of water leaks to fend off this fungus

By Sadie Jo Smokey

The Arizona Republic

Aug. 03, 2002 12:00:00

Mold is more than a furry fungus - it's a health scare, a lawsuit waiting to

happen and a lucrative business opportunity all in one. Mold has been

called the asbestos of the new millennium and more than a few lawyers have

chanted, " Mold is gold! " at conventions.

Brockovich, (yes, that one) named it her No. 1 enemy after it invaded

her California home.

What's all the fuss? Money, health and livelihood. Here are 10 common

beliefs about mold and the truths behind them.

.. Mold doesn't grow in Arizona.

False. Mold thrives in any warm, damp conditions. Mold spores are so tiny

that they float on the air you breathe. Provide the right conditions -

water, food and darkness - and mold will grow.

.. Mold grows only in older, flood-damaged buildings.

False. Mold grows on wood, carpet, bathroom ceilings and leather furniture

in apartments, condos, dorms, old homes and homes under construction.

Newlyweds Naomi and Albert Lomeli learned they had severe mold growth in

their El Mirage home when it was only 6 months old.

" I was shocked, " Naomi said. " You don't expect to have that problem in a new

home. "

A leak in the waterline to the icemaker encouraged mold to grow in the wall

behind the refrigerator.

" It was 5 to 8 feet across and 4 feet high, " Naomi said. " When the drywall

person came out he pulled off the drywall and said he couldn't repair it. He

said when he was in school they showed movies of really bad mold damage like

we had. "

The homebuilder hired an environmental cleaning company to test and clean up

the mold. The builder replaced the pantry and kitchen wall.

" We were really lucky to find it before the warranty was up, " Naomi said.

" If the plumber had done the work properly the first time, we wouldn't have

had that leak. It was an accident that we noticed water on the floor. "

.. Insurance companies do not pay for mold treatment or repairs.

True. Policies have excluded loss from mold, rust or rot for years. Many

times the cause of a mold problem is covered - storm damage, a water hose or

pipe bursting - but many fail to treat the problem immediately.

" Water damage that is cleaned up in 24 to 48 hours typically doesn't result

in mold, " said Jim Fredrickson, executive director of the Arizona Insurance

Information Association. " The (Arizona) Department of Health Services said

mold shouldn't occur if you do regular maintenance. Mold as a maintenance

issue is not covered. "

.. Home inspectors are mold experts.

False. Home inspectors are generalists who can recognize obvious signs of

mold, but they are rarely experts.

Need a mold expert? Find a laboratory that participates in the Environmental

Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program. These labs identify

microorganisms commonly detected during indoor-air quality studies.

.. You must smell mold to have mold.

False. Most of us can recognize moldy, musty or damp smells, but mold is

tricky. Many of the more than 200 species of mold produce sour odors only

under specific conditions. Some molds need lots of moisture to turn smelly.

What a mold is growing on can trigger odor as well.

The Lomelis didn't notice an odor, nor did any of their visitors. However,

detecting an odor is a good reason to suspect mold, investigate and treat.

.. Homeowners can sell homes without disclosing mold problems or water

damage.

False. Oh so illegal. Mold can cause dry rot in wood and structural damage,

which is why the seller's disclosure contract specifically addresses mold

growth, roof leaks, flooding and water damage.

The seller must disclose all known material hidden defects (such as mold,

severe water damage or flooding) to the buyer.

" If the seller had mold problems and hired a specialist to fix the problem,

we'd disclose that too, " said Marge , vice president of Hall &

Associates.

Brockovich is stuck with her mold-infested million-dollar home in

California. She decided on repairs.

.. Mold is strictly a cosmetic nuisance.

False. Most mold is harmless - the fuzzy stuff on the cheese, the grout in

the bathroom - but mold spores can cause health problems in some people.

Dr. Stuart Lanson, a sdale physician who specializes in environmental

illness, said mold exposure often triggers allergies or asthma, but other

symptoms can arise as well.

" The illness can affect any of the organ systems, " Lanson said. " Some people

get cramping, bleeding, nausea, headaches. "

.. It is easy for homeowners to test for mold.

False. With mold, if you see it, clean it, recommends the Environmental

Protection Agency. While $50 mold testing kits make it easy to determine

mold from soot or dirt, inexperienced testers may contaminate or take

incorrect samples.

.. Evaporative (swamp) coolers are breeding grounds for mold.

True. Regularly maintained swamp coolers, air-conditioning units, heat pumps

and vents can harbor mold. Keep units clean, maintained and well ventilated.

.. All mold is toxic. A 'sick' home must be destroyed.

False. Bob Hutzel, a mold remediation specialist and assistant faculty

member in information and management technology at Arizona State University,

credits the Internet for fueling the fire about this myth.

Hutzel said few mold spores are as hazardous as most Web sites describe. The

most popular belief is that all mold, and especially black toxic mold,

causes cancer.

" The studies that claim mold causes cancer were results from testing on

animals in a lab setting; you can't apply those to residential settings, "

Hutzel said.

After 30 years of studying and testing buildings for mold, Hutzel said he's

never seen a home that needed to be destroyed.

" It's nonsense, " Hutzel said. " Get a second opinion before you spend a lot

of money for treatment. "

Cleaning and testing

.. The first step is to get rid of the moisture. Find the source. Stop it.

Then clean up the mold.

.. To keep mold cleanup in perspective, if the mold is growing in an area

that is smaller than you are, use some elbow grease. Hire a professional if

the mold is larger than you.

.. To clean up mold, put on rubber gloves, mix one cup of bleach with one

gallon of water, add dish soap to cut dirt and oil and use a scrub brush.

Let the area dry for two or three days.

.. Regular maintenance and cleaning are key. Repair leaky roofs and plumbing.

Clean sewer backups and pools of water from overflowing machinery.

.. Buyers can have a building tested for mold as part of the home-inspection

process. However, no standards exist to determine dangerous levels.

.. Since Arizona neither certifies nor licenses home or mold inspectors, the

next best thing is accreditation by the American Industrial Hygiene

Association and/or certification by the Glendale-based American Indoor Air

Quality Council. Members recognize, evaluate and control environmental

hazards such as mold.

To find Phoenix-area inspectors on the Web, go to www.aiaqc.org. Click on

Member MarketPlace, click Search MarketPlace then click on Southwest

MarketPlace for a list of members. The Yellow Pages list inspectors under

Environmental and Ecological Services.

.. The American Industrial Hygiene Association suggests mold testing include

visual evaluation, moisture detection sampling, air sampling indoors and

outdoors, bulk samples (pieces of carpet, insulation or wall board) as well

as water samples from drip pans.

.. While stachybotrys, toxic black mold, gets the worst rap, there are more

than 200 species of molds in shades of pink, green, brown and white.

Mold specialists

.. Hutzel, owner, Hutzel & Associates, 1626 E. Drive, Phoenix,

(602) 323-0222.

.. Dr. Stuart Lanson, sdale Allergy, Asthma and Environmental Health

Center, 8406 E. Shea Blvd., (480) 994-9512.

.. Arizona Insurance Information Association, 11801 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite

222, Phoenix, (602) 996-7009.

.. American Indoor Air Quality Council, (623) 582-0832,

Reach the reporter at (602) 444-8148.