Ten Mold Facts for
Homeowners, Landlords, Tenants, and Employers
February 28,
2005 — By Phillip Fry
Homeowners, landlords,
tenants, and employers should use these ten mold facts to cope with mold
in homes, apartments,
and workplaces, advises Phillip Fry, Certified Mold
Inspector and author of the book Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention,
Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
1. Airborne mold spores are
everywhere both indoors and outdoors. Resident and employee health is at
serious risk if there are
elevated levels of mold spores indoors, as
compared to an outdoor mold control test.
2. The most dangerous
indoor molds are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium,
Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, and
Stachybotrys. Laboratory analysis is
required to identify specific mold species.
3. Molds spores can cause
serious health problems even if the spores are dead or dormant (inactive
while waiting for more
moisture to resume growth). Even the smell of dead
or dormant mold can make some mold-sensitive persons ill.
4. It is impossible to get
rid of all mold spores indoors. Some mold spores will always be found in
house dust and floating in the
air.
5. The mold spores will not
grow into mold colonies if there is insufficient moisture. Indoor mold
growth can and should be
prevented or controlled by controlling moisture
indoors. If organic materials are wet for more than 24 hours, mold growth
can
begin.
6. Mold grows by eating and
destroying organic building materials and other cellulose-based materials
such as carpeting,
upholstery, and clothing. The longer that mold grows,
the more mold damage to the building.
7. Cellulose is the main
substance in the cell walls of plants (and thus of wood), and it is used
in the manufacture of many organic
building materials such as drywall,
plasterboard, plywood substitutes, and ceiling tiles.
8. Mold can grow hidden and
undetected inside wall and ceiling cavities; beneath wallpaper, paneling,
and carpeting; and inside
heating and cooling equipment and ducts, attics,
crawl spaces, and basements.
9. Mold growth is often the
result of a structural or construction defect, or of maintenance neglect,
that allows moisture to enter
the building.
10. The owner or employer
must first fix the water problem (roof leak, plumbing leak, high indoor
humidity) that enables the mold
to grow. Effective mold remediation
requires killing the mold with an EPA-registered fungicide, removing it,
and treating the
cleaned area with an EPA-registered preventive fungicidal
coating.
For more information about mold, visit---
http://www.moldinspector.com
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
http://www.mold.ph
http://www.moldmart.net
http://www.envirosurf.com
Contact: Phillip Fry, author
Phone: 11-63-906-510-4000
Email:
envirodangers@yahoo.com
Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Solutions
Phil can help you fix your own property’s mold
problems at low-cost, more safely, and better-in- results than what is
done by many mold inspectors and mold contractors. How can Phil
help you?
1. Read Phil’s five plain-English,
mold advice books to master
mold inspection, testing, removal, remediation, and prevention for
your house, condo, apartment, office, or workplace.
2. Buy do-it-yourself, affordable
mold test kits,
mold lab analysis,
video inspection scope,
mold cleaner, and
mold killer, for the successful toxic and household mold
inspection, mold testing, mold species identification and
quantification, mold cleaning, mold removal, and mold remediation to
find mold, kill mold, clean mold, and remove mold from your residence
or commercial building.
3. Get FREE mold advice, mold help, and/or
answers to your mold questions, by emailing mold expert Phillip
Fry at
envirodangers@yahoo.com.
You can also email pictures of your mold problems
in jpeg file format as email attachments. |
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[Home]
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[Tips
to Avoid Mold Problems] [Toxic
Mold Prevention Month] [Maintaining
a Mold-Safe Workplace] [Building
a Mold-Safe Home] [Exposure
to Mold Infestation] [Ten
Mold Facts to Remember] [Steps
to Avoid Mold Problems] [How
to Do Low Cost Mold Collection] [How
to Collect Physical Mold Growth] [Mold
Cleaner and Odor Remover] [Tips
to Prevent Flooding]
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