Mold Concerns Rise As Waters Recede

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Mold Concerns Rise As Waters Recede Wed May 17, 9:06 AM ET

http://news./s/wcvb/20060517/lo_wcvb/9229534

WCVB TheBostonChannel.com via News Wed

Bay Staters bailing out after days of flooding were cautioned to be

mindful of dangerous mold as they start cleaning out homes,

businesses and basements.

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported that it takes a few days for

mold to form.

" If you've got mold growing in your house in places, for a lot of

people that's very unhealthy " said Harvard-trained scientist

May, who has authored several books on mold and inspects buildings

for mold problems.

May said after a house is pumped out, it's wise for residents to dry

the area with heat or a good dehumidifier.

" One of the big mistakes people make is they try and ventilate the

basement using air from the house. They'll have the door to the

basement open and they'll have all these fans and if there's mold

situation, they're actually going to be blowing all those spores all

over the basement and then into the house, " May said.

For major flooding, May said, residents should just cut out soaked

drywall and baseboard, even if looks clean.

" If you've got drywall that's gotten really saturated, it's just got

to be removed. A hundred percent of the time, in a basement anyway,

it's just going to get moldy, " May said.

Residents should also make sure to take all items out of the

basement, drying them out and wiping down furniture, boxes and

children's toys. If there are any rugs that are wet, they should be

thrown out.

" I've sampled hundreds and hundreds of basement carpets for molds

and I could count on two hands the number of carpets that didn't

have some mold, " May said.

Floors should be washed with a solution of two capfuls of bleach to

each gallon of water.