Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 I have read a few of the links supplied at the sickbuildigs website that refer to testing. I am leaning towards the home test kits . I want to test my brothers house in fortlauderdale for possible cross contamination from things (books, paintings) I have brought over there from my contaminated house. We cleaned everything very thouroughly but from what I have read on this sight and my experience I am strarting to worry I may have done my brother a huge diservice. any recomendations from anyone that has used any of these services and kits would be great;ly appreciated. Christ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Christ <antares41-41@...> wrote: I am leaning towards the home test kits . I use the ones at Home Depot as they only cost $10 plus $30 more if you want them tested. I know they are not that complete but for $10 I can get an idea. Bob --------------------------------- DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Christ < wrote: > We cleaned everything very thouroughly but from what I have read > on this sight and my experience I am strarting to worry I may have > done my brother a huge diservice. > Christ As long as you realize that these home kits do nothing to rule out mold, it is no disservice. It may confirm what you already suspect, but if it doesn't, the next step is to hire an experienced environmental specialist. Just don't trust these home kits as indicative that you are safe. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 I used this mold test twice and both times grew black, green, white, orange and I think brown molds. Just tried again recently cuz someone bought me these again. I put on air vent and it grew theam again and got bit and nasty. One black is black and the other is black and white. Scary tho to see them grow so they must be in my air. I just have a gut feeling my air system gave me my brain lesion and poisoning me. It was warmer here today and I haven't had the nasty air blowing but gets cold at night. I'm so tired of having swollen eyes ETC. Been feeling really strange lately too. If there are 1000's of molds, what colors are all of them? Rhonda > > > > I have read a few of the links supplied at the sickbuildigs > website > > that refer to testing. I am leaning towards the home test kits . > I > > want to test my brothers house in fortlauderdale for possible cross > > contamination from things (books, paintings) I have brought over > > there from my contaminated house. > > > > We cleaned everything very thouroughly but from what I have > read > > on this sight and my experience I am strarting to worry I may have > > done my brother a huge diservice. > > any recomendations from anyone that has used any of these > services > > and kits would be great;ly appreciated. > > > > > > Christ > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 , In addition to the links, check the archives for info on testing. Myself and others have posted extensively about the pluses and minuses of testing yourself and with professionals. Also, download and read the EPA documents on mold starting with Mold Remediation for Schools and Commercial Buildings. (Free at www.epa.gov/iaq/molds) Now, some general info and then I'll address your specific question. What you test, why you test, how you test and where you send the samples all needs to be part of a carefully crafted plan. If the mold is visible testing isn't necessary to prove there is mold but you may want to for specific legal or medical reasons. Then - and this is a big one - the results have to be interpreted. Because there is no exposure level to compare the results to, the interpretation is critical. Who does that and on what basis? And what do you then need to do? And how? Yes, the home test kits can be a starting point, but that is all. Even then how do you interpret the data? The lab certainly can't because they don't know the what, why and how (above). And all this is relative to your susceptibility. Furthermore, you can be non-allergic to mold but otherwise reactive to the spores and its components. You could also be reacting to the many other components that are not detected by sampling. Home sampling only detects spores that are alive, a small portion of what is usually present. Beware of negative results that are false! In your case, however, you have a specific question you want answered: Did you cross-contaminate when you brought your things to your brother's house? There are two ways to answer that question: 1) Experience: After you cleaned your things, are you still reacting to them? Are you or they reacting in his house now but weren't before? If not, then you didn't cross-contaminate. Save your $10 + $30. 2) Testing: You can sample your house and some possesions to which you previously reacted to identify the types of mold. AND, sample your brothers house. If there are some " marker " molds in both then you did cross-contaminate. (By " marker " I mean something other than the usual Penisillium, Cladosporium, etc that are everywhere). However, if no one is reacting, who cares? You removed the molds - and what ever else was removed along with the mold - and didn't cross- contaminate. If none of this applies, find a professional. Good starting points are www.iaqa.org, www.iicr.org, or for ducts at www.nadca.com. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- > I have read a few of the links supplied at the sickbuildigs website > that refer to testing. I am leaning towards the home test kits . I > want to test my brothers house in fortlauderdale for possible cross > contamination from things (books, paintings) I have brought over > there from my contaminated house. > > We cleaned everything very thouroughly but from what I have read > on this sight and my experience I am strarting to worry I may have > done my brother a huge diservice. > any recomendations from anyone that has used any of these services > and kits would be great;ly appreciated. > > > Christ > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Serena, I assume you're refering to the 5 slides of Stachybotrys. Three slides were of the colonies on petri dishes and two were under magnification, looking at the hyphae and the spores. This isn't unusual because how they " branch " and form spores (morphology, in a simplistic way) is the key. That's how they tell the difference between Penicillium and Aspergillus, for example, on a culture plate but can't directly under a microscope. They branch differently. Think of looking at a forest and trying to identify the kinds of trees from 1000 feet above. Then go to 100 feet. Even then some species (as opposed to genus) won't be clear until you see when they make seeds (sporulate), what the seeds look like and even, perhaps, when and how they germinate. Very similar to identifying molds. That's also why the lab analysts should be trained mycologists rather than just being supervised by a trained mycologist. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- > Interesting, Carl. Were they looking at magnified samples, or just > with the naked eye? > > " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: Rhonda, > > There are actually somewhere around 100,000 kinds of mold and around > 1,500,000 including species and other fungi. Color isn't the primary > > > > Serena > > There is no such thing as an anomaly. Recheck your original premise. > ...Ayn Rand, paraphrased > > > > > --------------------------------- > Photos > Ring in the New Year with Photo Calendars. Add photos, events, > holidays, whatever. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 & Rhonda, Try this link www.iicrc.org it should work. Carl, I think you may have just left the last c out of it. KC --- In , " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@h...> wrote: > > , > > In addition to the links, check the archives for info on testing. > Myself and others have posted extensively about the pluses and > minuses of testing yourself and with professionals. Also, download > and read the EPA documents on mold starting with Mold Remediation for > Schools and Commercial Buildings. (Free at www.epa.gov/iaq/molds) > Now, some general info and then I'll address your specific question. > > What you test, why you test, how you test and where you send the > samples all needs to be part of a carefully crafted plan. If the mold > is visible testing isn't necessary to prove there is mold but you may > want to for specific legal or medical reasons. Then - and this is a > big one - the results have to be interpreted. Because there is no > exposure level to compare the results to, the interpretation is > critical. Who does that and on what basis? And what do you then need > to do? And how? > > Yes, the home test kits can be a starting point, but that is all. > Even then how do you interpret the data? The lab certainly can't > because they don't know the what, why and how (above). And all this > is relative to your susceptibility. > > Furthermore, you can be non-allergic to mold but otherwise reactive > to the spores and its components. You could also be reacting to the > many other components that are not detected by sampling. Home > sampling only detects spores that are alive, a small portion of what > is usually present. Beware of negative results that are false! > > In your case, however, you have a specific question you want > answered: Did you cross-contaminate when you brought your things to > your brother's house? > > There are two ways to answer that question: > > 1) Experience: After you cleaned your things, are you still reacting > to them? Are you or they reacting in his house now but weren't > before? If not, then you didn't cross-contaminate. Save your $10 + > $30. > > 2) Testing: You can sample your house and some possesions to which > you previously reacted to identify the types of mold. AND, sample > your brothers house. If there are some " marker " molds in both then > you did cross-contaminate. (By " marker " I mean something other than > the usual Penisillium, Cladosporium, etc that are everywhere). > However, if no one is reacting, who cares? You removed the molds - > and what ever else was removed along with the mold - and didn't cross- > contaminate. > > If none of this applies, find a professional. Good starting points > are www.iaqa.org, www.iicr.org, or for ducts at www.nadca.com. > > Carl Grimes > Healthy Habitats LLC > > ----- > > I have read a few of the links supplied at the sickbuildigs website > > that refer to testing. I am leaning towards the home test kits . I > > want to test my brothers house in fortlauderdale for possible cross > > contamination from things (books, paintings) I have brought over > > there from my contaminated house. > > > > We cleaned everything very thouroughly but from what I have read > > on this sight and my experience I am strarting to worry I may have > > done my brother a huge diservice. > > any recomendations from anyone that has used any of these services > > and kits would be great;ly appreciated. > > > > > > Christ > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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