Re: Re: Value of home testing?

April 19, 2006

Zippy,

I haven't weighed into this discussion yet as the group is right on

target, as you so suscinctly stated. I've been very vocal for several

months about mold testing and you can find those details in the

archives.

I'll abruptly summarize by starting with the opinion that not only is

home testing suspect at best, but so is most " professional " testing.

None of which is " objective " and none of which will answer the

question that we all want to know - " Is mold making me sick? "

1. There is no definitive test for mold as there is for radon,

asbestos, lead paint, carbon monoxide, etc. Those are single items

but airborne mold has over 100,000 different " kinds. " Which are you

reacting to and can you find it?

2. Of the half dozen or so different collection methods there are an

equal number of analytical methods at the lab. Each provides only a

1 or 2 pieces of the " 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. " Which one is

representative of the whole picture? Did you find it?

3. Current methods each have severe limitations. Typical surface and

air sampling only find spores and there is a lot more to mold GROWTH

than just spores just like there is a lot more to forests and even

single trees then just their seeds.

4. Non-spore methods like PCR only find the DNA to identify a

specific species. They do not find the enzyments, glucans, MVOCs

and/or mycotoxins. There is a recent report that mycotoxins can now

be found in air samples but the experts are still debating this.

5. ANY sample only finds " something " at that time in that location

with that method. It, by itself, says nothing about exposure - and

exposure is the key - in combination with your individual

susceptibility.

6. There are no exposure levels established because of all the above

reasons and many more.

7. Mold spores are everywhere so finding some growing on a culture

plate may or may not mean anything. I can take an ordinary coffee cup

- the wider ones are much better - dampen the bottom and set it on a

light film of ordinary house dust on a shelf and find mold growing

after 4-5 days. Where did it come from? It was already there. But it

wasn't growing until I made it into a garden by adding water.

8. Mold is not the only problem. The Inst of Medicine report title

says it all: Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. Dampness also grows

bacteria and increases populations of mites, roaches, rodents and can

release chemicals from water damaged materials.

Clean and dry are the watch words. Check out the free, easy to

understand EPA mold course at: http://www.epa.gov/mold/

Finally, check out what the world experts have to say about mold

testing. Their opinions are in an article at:

http://www.ieconnections.com/archive/apr_05/apr_05.htm#article2

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> So, I gather from the responses thus far that

> ojective testing, like say mold plates, is

> not any good?

>

> Zippy

April 19, 2006

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 00:45:20 +0000, you wrote:

>

>So, I gather from the responses thus far that

>ojective testing, like say mold plates, is

>not any good?

I am probably not the right person to ask this question since I

haven't ever sent any of mine back for anayisis, and I am not an

expert.

It's a way to gauge the degree of your problem. It is not exact,

there are lot's of varibles. Experts are going to be able to do this

much more accuratly than you or I. Looking back Even though I knew I

had mold it would have been well worth the money just to have gotten

the proffesional advice. Instead I made mistake after mistake after

mistake. Maybe I could have avoided one or two of these. Maybe not. I

am pretty hard headed.

April 20, 2006

Elvira,

You have to open up the windows, even if its freezing cold, that

outdoor air is better than what's inside.. And get an air cleaner, or

at least some air filters ducttaped to 20 " fans...

On 4/19/06, elvira52 <Elvira52@...> wrote:

> this is great,

>

> But I wonder what can you do about the smell when it get so bad you can't

sleep coughing so much you pull a vain in your chest the noise feel like it's

going to explode you are renting. and suffering from MCS on top of all else I

wonder is there any place that's mold free

Yes, but they want you (us, everyone) to pay more money for it.

Please I'm looking for some place. so I can start healing myself I

told my doctor to me it make no sinces to keep taking meds to get mold

out of the body when you are living in it what good are the meds!?.

The idea is to make public housing so unhealthy that it will be torn

down. Then they can replace it with market rate housing. You are

'collateral damage' - essentially roadkill on their 'road to riches'.

>

> Please if any one knows a place or know someone with a mold free place

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPP.

>

> Please

>

if you want a mold free place, you may need to fight for it. Your best

friend is documentation. Document the way they are treatinng you and

put it on the Web. Embarass them.

April 20, 2006

That's all I can do is open the windows but sometime that become a problem you

see at times someone has been spraying me with some type of toxin throw my