Toxic Mold
Mold is a tenacious, unwelcome house guest. It climbs up bathroom walls,
invades carpet and infests drywall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, six varieties of household mold are common, and three can
produce toxins. The CDC linked one of them, stachybotrys atra, to 10 cases of lung
disorder in infants five years ago and 100 cases since. Unfortunately, it's impossible for
homeowners to distinguish between toxic and the benign molds - they all look like black or
gray sooty patches.
Stachybotrys
atra (pronounced
Stack-ee-bot-ris) is an especially lethal mold. It's part of a family of molds
(others are Memnoniella and Aspergillus
versicolor) that produce airborne toxins, called mycotoxins, that can cause
serious breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu like
symptoms, and bleeding in the lungs. In 1996 and 1999 studies by Eckardt
Johanning, M.D., of the Eastern New York Occupational and Environmental Health
Center, people with prolonged exposure to mycotoxins from Stachybotrys and other
fungi experienced chronic fatigue, loss of balance, irritability, memory loss
and difficulty speaking. "These were college graduates who had been
functioning at a high level, and now they can't," Johanning says.
Fortunately, Stachybotrys
isn't found in homes as often as milder molds such as Cladosporium, Penicillium and Alternaria.
Those are common, especially in damp states such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida
and Oregon. Yet even they can cause health problems, including chronic sinus and
respiratory infections and asthma. A 1999 Mayo Clinic study pegged nearly all
the chronic sinus infections afflicting 37 million Americans to molds. Recent
studies also have linked molds to the tripling of the asthma rate over the past
20 years.
How common are
these molds? A 1994 Harvard University School of Public Health study of 10,000
homes in the United States and Canada found half had "conditions of water
damage and mold associated with a 50 to 100% increase in respiratory
symptoms," says Harvard's Jack Spengler.
When molds
grow, it's usually in damp places, behind walls and under floors, above ceiling
tiles or behind shower walls -- wherever there are wet cellulose materials they
can feed on, such as wood, ceiling tiles, plasterboard, or accumulations of
organic material inside air-conditioning and heating systems. Water is the key.
Without it, molds can't get started, much less spread. But when water is left to
sit for even 24 hours, common molds can take hold. If water continues to sit and
areas become completely saturated, that's when a more lethal mold, such as Stachybotrys,
can move in.
In Michigan,
Wisconsin and Minnesota in the mid-1980s, thousands of middle-income families
fell ill when their homes developed mold problems. This year in New York City,
125 families at Henry Phipps Plaza South filed an $8 billion mold lawsuit
against their landlord. And four years ago in Cleveland, Stachybotrys
growth from unrepaired storm damage was suspected of causing pulmonary
hemorrhage in 14 children, killing two.
No matter what type of mold is in your home, your safety depends on the
size of the infestation. If there's a mass more than 2 ft. sq., or if the mold has
gotten into the carpet, insulation or drywall, contact WSC
in the Northwest.
How
to protect your home from unhealthful molds
· Keep water out. Fix any leaks within 24 hours.
· Be on the lookout for discoloration of walls, ceiling, or anything made
of wood or paper. Mold growth can be almost any color: white, black, green,
fluorescent.
·
Look behind cabinets or pictures on cold outside walls, where
condensation can occur. Keep furniture away from outside walls.
· Check around air handling units (air conditioners, furnaces) for stagnant
water. Keep these units serviced with regular cleaning of ducts and air filters.
· Be aware of odors. Mildew has been described as pungent, or
"aromatic."
·
Know the symptoms of mold-related illness, which can range from chronic
sinus infections and asthma to nosebleeds, extreme fatigue, severe headaches,
dizziness, rashes and central nervous system problems. Do the symptoms get
better when you go on vacation and worse when you come home?
