Black Mold

nvone asked:


I can’t see a bug, only little black balls on some of the leaves. The pest is eating the leaves completely off, leaving only the stem and main “veins” of the leaf. The plant seems healthy and is blooming, but it just hardly has any leaves. It is surely being eaten, as opposed to mold or rot or something, because I can see the holes and the edges look just like some little teeth ate them.

anna172t asked:


i was packing my things to move out. when i moved the boxes out of my closet. the whole wall was covered in black mold what should i do?

voviet91 asked:


I went to a water park a week ago, and havent washed it since. It’s been in my closet, which is dark and room temp. And when I went to hand wash it, I found black “pebble” like things inside the bathing suit where there are no openings so I assume its mold. I cant bleach it or else I’ll ruin it. Any ideas???

Steven Briesemeister asked:


What is black mold?

Mold is a particularly unsavory character that is neither plant nor animal. It usually resides in the fungi family and creates enzymes for decomposing and digesting and spores that are used for reproduction. In general mold and the decay they cause is not a bad thing; consider a world without decay. We would be piled high with dead trees, plants, animals and other dead organisms. Mold eats away at dead plants and animals causing them to eventually disappear. Unfortunately, though, damaging black mold doesn’t know where to stop. It can’t always differentiate between the things we want it to decay and the things we’d rather it didn’t and this includes our home. Damaging black mold can also have a serious detrimental effect on our health if it is left unchecked.

Damaging black mold thrives on moisture.

Damaging black mold thrives on moisture and prefers darkened corners because of this. In a house this can include many unseen areas that you wouldn’t normally think to check. Behind washing machines, under the sink, in the attic, even behind the wallpaper and in the walls is where damaging black mold really likes to hide. Most of these places are rich with the moisture it requires and are infrequently, or never, cleaned. This means it can grow and grow but of course while it’s growing it’s also eating away at the very structure of the house in which it lives.

Poor waterproofing and damaging black mold.

Houses that suffer from poor waterproofing are especially at risk because they have more damp areas and increased levels of moisture all around the building. By not waterproofing your home you are encouraging damaging black mold to grow wherever it can find a drop of moisture. If necessary it can **** the moisture out of your walls leaving the structure of your home in tatters. Of course, poor waterproofing isn’t the only way that mold is produced in your home. A particularly humid house will have collections of condensation in many different places, regular condensation won’t simply sit on your windows and drop off over time, it will collect on wallpaper getting soaked into the wall behind and it will collect just about anywhere it wants. Eventually damaging black mold is likely to grow where this moisture is causing the damage we know it can.

Protecting your house and your family.

There are a number of ways to ensure that damaging black mold isn’t attacking your house. Make sure that all air conditioning ducts are securely sealed, and installing a bathroom fan are two of the more common and effective methods of protecting your home from damaging black mold but there are many others. Ensuring you use permeable wallpaper backings and store firewood and other naturally moist substances outdoors. If you can smell a musky smell in some of the more prone areas in your house then there is a chance that the damaging black mold has manifested itself in your house. You need to hire a professional who will visit your house and do a thorough check of the entire structure. They will also be able to effectively remove it for you and give you some advice on how to prevent it from returning.

A. Rodrigues asked:


Have you noticed how often toxic black mold has been mentioned in the headlines recently? Since quite a significant number of people still do not fully appreciate its dangers, perhaps this article may change that perception in some way.

There are many types of mold that we encounter indoors and outdoors but, although not all of them are toxic, some clearly are. What is worse is that it seems that some molds do have the ability to propagate toxins but do not necessarily do so. (Without too much trouble, I could draw a plausible comparison with living beneath a dormant volcano here.)

The term toxic mold is specifically used to describe a species of mold that produces mycotoxins, the most famous of which carries the scientific name Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra). This toxic mold is green-black in color, hence it is often known as “black mold” or “toxic black mold”.

It is extremely unhealthy for anyone to come into contact with toxic black mold but certain groups of people are more susceptible to its effects than others, particularly

* Children (under 12 years, particularly infants)

* Pregnant women

* The elderly (generally, over 65 years)

* Those with weakened immune systems; allergies; asthma; chronic, obstructive, or allergic lung diseases

The most dangerous form of exposure to this species of mold is breathing its spores. When disturbed, it will release countless tiny, lightweight spores which become airborne, just waiting to be ingested. Since disturbance can occur in a number of ways, often without anyone knowing it, for example during a cleanup or house repairs, it is quite alarming to realize how easily these spores can be ingested.

Migraines, nosebleeds, memory loss, asthma, breathing difficulties, food allergies, fungal infections, nose and throat irritations are just some of the many symptoms that may be exhibited by those who have been exposed to harmful airborne spores.

Common sense dictates that you must stop mold from growing if you do not want to be exposed to it. To avoid mold growth of any kind, you need to control moisture in and around your home. If you keep the relative humidity indoors below the 60% threshold, then you are well on the way to preventing toxic mold from appearing because it will not prosper in an environment containing less than 60% humidity.

Therefore, before anything else, you need to assess the humidity level inside your home. You could use an inexpensive hygrometer (also known as a relative humidity sensor or moisture meter) to do this. Once you have determined that you need to correct your humidity level, there are some simple steps you can take to try and reduce it to below the 60% threshold, for example:

* Ensure that there is proper ventilation, especially in smaller areas like the bathroom and the kitchen. If necessary, install a good quality exhaust fan in the bathroom and an efficient range hood in the kitchen; and maintain them in good working order, e.g. as applicable, change batteries regularly, do not allow dust to accumulate and block airflow and change filters regularly.

* Be on the lookout for condensation as this is a sure sign of high humidity. Check your windows, walls or pipes and, if you spot any, dry the wet areas immediately. Any delay increases the chances of mold growing. And do not neglect to determine and fix the source of the condensation.

If you allow mold, especially toxic black mold, to infest your home, you have bought yourself a massive problem. However, I am confident that you will not let that happen when you think of the potential health implications for your family, the probable decrease in the value of your home and the financial burden on you to remove the mold and restore your home to its former glory.

Copyright A. Rodrigues 2009