Black Mold

FiveBoroMold asked:

One of our standard mold inspections. We had a client with an extreme mold issue. We deal with these types of cases everyday and can show the damage mold can inflict on a property.

Black Mold

Rich Fuller asked:




In 2001, black mold cases cost insurance companies over 1.2 billion dollars. This includes the cost of inspection and testing, remediation, attorney fees and punitive damages for builders’ neglect in dealing with the problem.

Since 2001, the number of black mold cases has steadily risen. Every year there are billions of dollars in lawsuits. Because of this, insurance companies have stopped carrying mold coverage. The new suits are brought against landlords, builders and property owners.

Unfortunately, many of these individuals do not fully understand their insurance coverage as it pertains to mold. Mold liability suits are on the rise, and you don’t want to be the next one!

So, What Can You Do?

Getting Coverage

Due to these recent mold cases, many insurance policies have included a “mold exclusion” to their insurance policies. If you are lucky enough to have an earlier policy that doesn’t have a mold exclusion, you should hang onto it.

The mold exclusion clauses are making it tough to get coverage for mold. You can often only get mold coverage as a stand-alone policy, and it carries high premiums. You can get it as an add-on to your existing policy as well, but it is often expensive.

If you live in a humid are such as the Pacific Northwest, it may be a good investment to get the extra coverage. Also, if the building property is old, you might want to be covered. Older buildings were built before there were strict guidelines for builders to deal with toxic black mold removal.

You also may be able to reduce the cost of coverage by developing an Operation & Maintenance plan for dealing with mold. Your O&M may include a plan for dealing with mold, a schedule for inspection and training for your employees in dealing with black mold remediation.

Fighting Mold

The best thing you can do is take care of mold problems when they occur and keep the mold out of your buildings. If your properties have a history of mold, you have to keep an eye on them. Talk with your tenants or employees and work on communicating with them. Make sure they understand how to check for mold, and notify you when they do.

If you are a landlord, you can revise your lease to include a section about black mold. Some landlords make their tenants fully responsible for mold cleanup, as long as it’s not a structural problem with the house. A better idea is to simply put a clause in the lease saying that it’s the tenants’ responsibility to notify the landlord of any black mold problems. This will keep you from being legally negligent.

It’s a really good idea to periodically pay for mold testing and inspection. This is expensive, but it may save you from a lawsuit. It also may save your tenants from suffering mold-related health problems.

Note that a high number of these cases have been brought in the states of Florida, Texas, California and the southwestern states. That’s because these places are prone to mold problems. If you are a landlord or developer in these areas, you need to take special care in mold prevention, inspection and removal.

Black Mold

Markus Skupeika asked:




You can hardly find an individual who had not suffered from black mold. Mildews and black molds are the problem of the day. They grow on practically anything and amplify very fast. Different types of molds and mildews are found in nature. They grow naturally on dead organic substances. Molds collect their nutrition from organic matters and decompose complex molecules into simpler forms.

When dead animals, vegetables, foods or any other organic substances are abandoned in nature, they decompose naturally due to mold formation. Even if you leave any food, covered or uncovered, untouched for long, it starts smelling bad. The reason is mold.

Indoor mold growth can really be frightening if not inspected early. Among different types of molds and mildews black mold is frequently found in environment. Toxic black molds when grow inside your house lead to various health problems. What is black mold actually and how it is toxic?

Stachybotrys chartarum and Stachybotrys atra – Toxic Black Mold:

Stachybotrys atra and Stachybotrys chartarum are known as Stachybotrys or toxic black mold. They are greenish black in color and belong to fungi class. Stachybotrys or black mold is found worldwide. They prefer to grow in materials with high-cellulose content like lint, dust, paper, food, straw etc. They can also be found on gypsum, fiber board and other building materials that contain high amount of cellulose and nitrogen.

Humidity is the main life factor for black molds. When the high-cellulose substances get wet and hold the moisture for long, black molds grow on them. They produce spores and grow in number rapidly. 2 to 40 degree Celsius temperate range is ideal for the growth of Stachybotrys.

During mold removal, you need to ensure that the infected place is dry, otherwise it will be difficult to kill mold. Unless you remove the factors for life, you cannot control mold manifestation.

Why Stachybotrys is toxic?

They produce toxin, scientifically known as mycotoxins as the byproduct of metabolism. Production of toxin depends on various environmental factors like temperature, humidity, nutrition etc.

Exposure to mold toxins can be health hazardous for human beings. Irritation of throat and eyes, watery eyes, diarrhea, headache, skin rash and dermatitis, fatigue and flu like symptoms are the common effects of exposure to mycotoxins.

Stachybotrys chartarum is also reported to produce a toxin that may paralyze sperms and result in bleeding in lungs. Hence, everybody should try to avoid exposure to toxic black molds.

How to identify and kill black mold:

It may be difficult for home dwellers to inspect and locate the exact place of mold growth. Any exposure to toxins can lead to serious ailments. It is suggested to take help from professionals. They conduct a thorough investigation to find out the degree and location of mold growth. Mold testing result shows the type of mold that has infected your house.

With mold testing done, you can start mold cleaning process. Organic mold removers can effectively remove molds and mildews from your home. Unlike bleaches, natural cleaning products kill molds permanently. Top of all, natural products are free from side effects and do not affect your health adversely.

Black Mold

fancypantsy asked:


And does this test, detect all different types of molds that could exist in ones home?
We live in a 150 yr. old house that split off into 4 apartments.
I was never familiar w/black mold or molds beforehand, but a few months ago black mold started growing through the paint in one corner of the bedroom. There’s a small leak from somewhere in the roof that has dripped once in awhile apparently in the closet.
Now I’m really MAD because am wondering if it’s been effecting our health + have valuables~esp. photographs that have to be thrown away due to possible toxic mold?

Black Mold

joeymj24 asked:


My husband left me after 10mths of being married. He had just been laid off and we lost our home and were in the middle of packing when he broke the news to me that he had already gotten his own place. He dumped me and all of my things at my mothers and that is where I am at now, this was 2 1/2 months ago. We have been back and forth on trying to work things out. His big issue is that I haven’t worked and still am not working full time, only 2 days a week. He keeps pushing me to get a job which I am trying to do but it is difficult because I have 2 of my own kids, ages 4 and 5 and we have a 10 month old baby together. Also I have been sick the past 3 years from toxic black mold that was in the first house we lived in and we are involved in a lawsuit with all that. He refuses to give me any money unless I do some work for him in his business. He left me with nothing and the vehicle I drive is in his name and he is always threatening to take that away, as well as my phone. He also trys to keep the baby from me saying I have more important things to do like find a job. He has done so much to go against me and our marriage but then says he is sorry and wants to work things out. I am so tired of the back and forth and feel like he is just jerking me around. But I still want more than anything to work things out so I am afraid to do anything drastic even though he has left me high and dry because once I start all the legal stuff there is no going back. I feel stuck and don’t know what to do.
The worst part is that his parents have outcasted me too and ignore me when I have seen them. Like I have done something wrong, I don’t know what he has been telling them. His kids (9 and 11) make comments too when I see them and it really hurts. He is also bipolar and on medication and an alcoholic and had gotten sober the end of december and has been going to meetings but has had two relapses since then. He said he had made the decision to leave me when he was all messed up so I can’t blame him for that. Also it was his sponser who said it was best to leave me and get his own place so he could get better without all the stress, which I don’t get because your not supposed to make those big changes when you are in recovery. It was too much for him with five kids and losing his job and home and me not being able to work and of course the lawsuit. I always think he is just stringing me along until the lawsuit is over and he can collect.
Five children between us, all girls. They have been heartbroken from this too. Atleast my girls, they were just babies when we all met and grew up with his girls, their sisters, they call them, and don’t understand why they can’t see them.

Black Mold