Re: results interpretation?

[Guest guest]

Lori,

I think what Texas Tech means is that there is no

evidence that mold specimen found indicates that

these were 'growing' but just spores present in

air and air will always contain some spores.

There is no air without any spores. I've heard

it is desireable to get number of spores in a

culture plates catch to be 4 or under caught in

one hours time. This is just general I'm sure

and one wouldn't feel they are living in mold pit

if they got 5 or 6 etc.

Just because mold is growing in culture plates

should not make you feel like you are in a moldy

unhealthy place. It is count that matters and it

will take more time to see what count is. How

many cone shaped growths can you count now?

I have NEVER used a culture plate and NOT had any

growth. I have talked to one person that didn't

get anything once. He was a remediator and said

he felt something was wrong with plate when it

didn't grow anything. He only tried one plate.

I put a culture plate at my desk at work and I

did not get anything growing for 5 days. Now

there is something tiny growing. I'm very

enthused about this but mold plate I used was

expired now I see, so I will have to redo test.

They don't last forever. Dallas says to use

plates within two weeks and keep them

refrigerated until used.

--- Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote:

> Any help understanding this would be great. I

> feel totally lost. This is from what we sent

> to Texas Tech, but I don't get what it means AT

> ALL.

>

> Also the culture plate we had in our bedroom is

> now growing mold. I guess I need to send it

> off, too. I just don't know where the mold in

> there would be coming from.

>

> It's all very upsetting and difficult right

> now. Yes, we're going to move within a couple

> of weeks but, no, I can't get rid of absolutely

> all my possessions. So I don't know how

> to know what to bring and what not to bring.

> Any guidelines on what would be more likely to

> have mold in it if we bring it along with us?

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

> help interepreting results

>

>

> Tape slide : The tape slide did not show the

> presence of any fungal growth sites. Fungal

> growth sites are determined by the presence of

> fungal spores, conidiophores and hyphae. Some

> spores of Cladosporium species, Ascospores and

> Penicillium/Aspergillus-like were seen. They

> are commonly recovered from the air and a

> variety of surfaces.

>

> Swab : Culturable fungi not detected.

>

>

> CAn anyone help me figure out what the heck to

> do with this information? : ) This is from

> the tests we sent from the radiator in our

> bedroom.

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

>

>

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Lori,

I can't answer your questions with any certainty. The only thing I

can say with much certainty is that the radiator probably doesn't

have mold growing on it but I can't be sure.

Here are some of possiblities of what the negative lab results might

mean. (ignoring on this response what positive results might mean).

First, I'm assuming that you are sick (which I know you are), you

have strong reasons to believe it is mold and not something else, and

mold growth is actually in your house. Here are five general

possibilities that could be true.

1. Negative result that is False. That means there is mold on the

tape lift sample but the lab didn't see it, coudn't see if because of

other debris or the lab confused mold for other types of particles.

For the swab, the mold was in the sample but it was dead, which means

it wouldn't grow. Or the mold was still alive but wouldn't grow on

the type of culture plate used at the lab or at the temperature and

humidity of their incubator. (not likely)

2. Negative result that is True. There isn't any mold on the tape

lift or the swab. This means the area sampled was clean. Other areas

of the radiator may not be clean so samples from another area might

find spores and grow spores. Or, maybe not. And this doesn't mean

there is no mold growth in other areas of the house.

3. There is mold in the house but not on the radiator. A radiator

isn't a good place to provide food and moisture for mold to grow.

Just like you aren't likely to find Kentucky Blue Grass growing in

the desert or on cement or on the radiator. But I might find a few

grass seeds or leaf fragments on the radiator. I'd pretend to be mold

and look for areas where I'd like to live and grow.

So my first question would be why did you sample the radiator rather

than something else? I'll bet there is a very good reason that would

help solve the mystery.

4. It could also mean that mold parts other than the spore is the

cause of your reactions. If the whole mold " plant " and its spores are

inside a wall, for example, they can't get out very easily and won't

be collected in a sample. But other components like mycotoxins,

enzymes or MVOCs are smaller than spores and could get out and into

the air causing your exposure. Neither a tape lift nor a swab will

detect those.

5. It might be the bacteria that also grows where mold grows. It

won't show up on any sample that is being analyzed for mold. It must

be analyzed a different way that will " see " bacteria.

So how do we figure out which of the five possibilites is true?

It would take a LOT of samples of a LOT of different kinds from MANY

locations to begin to develop a pattern. Even then, the pattern would

have to be compared to other fractors such as:

-How the building is used

-Building structure, materials and history

-Moisture measurements

-Comparison of measurements of temperature, humidity, dew point and

surface temperatures

-Geographical region and season

-Separation between inside and outside

-Inventory of contents and products

-Visible evidence of water damage or condensation

-Attics and crawlspaces

-Forced air systems with or without a/c, dirty or clean

-Swamp coolers and humidifiers

-And any number of other factors.

But evaluating the list of " other factors " above (like a medical

history gives a doctor guidance on what tests to run) usually

provides answers to an experienced investigator without taking any

samples.

If more samples are taken then the " other factors " would be used to

develop a plan of how many of what kind of samples to take and where

to take them. Lab numbers alone without this type of information is a

guess that can and will be interpreted any number of ways.

So with the above information, let me guess why you sampled the

radiator for mold and provide a possible way your negative test

results could have meaning.

You can't see mold but you either smell mold near the radiator or

your mold reactions are stronger near the radiator. So a sample would

tell you if mold growth that is too small to see is on the radiator

surface. If the results are positive then that is a start because it

may also be growing in other places. But the results are negative

(and the 4 possibilities above are accounted for) so there may be

mold growing near (or behind) the radiator instead of on it.

I know this doesn't solve your problem, Lori, but that's the best I

can do with what we have. This is what is so bedeviling about the

mold issue. There are no easy ways to get the answers we need. It

doesn't mean we give up. We keep trying. But until we get the answers

we need to stop the harm we have to deal with the uncertainty.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Any help understanding this would be great. I feel totally lost.

> This is from what we sent to Texas Tech, but I don't get what it means

> AT ALL.

>

> Also the culture plate we had in our bedroom is now growing mold. I

> guess I need to send it off, too. I just don't know where the mold in

> there would be coming from.

>

> It's all very upsetting and difficult right now. Yes, we're going to

> move within a couple of weeks but, no, I can't get rid of absolutely

> all my possessions. So I don't know how to know what to bring

> and what not to bring. Any guidelines on what would be more likely to

> have mold in it if we bring it along with us?

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

> help interepreting results

>

>

> Tape slide : The tape slide did not show the presence of any fungal

> growth sites. Fungal growth sites are determined by the presence of

> fungal spores, conidiophores and hyphae. Some spores of Cladosporium

> species, Ascospores and Penicillium/Aspergillus-like were seen. They

> are commonly recovered from the air and a variety of surfaces.

>

> Swab : Culturable fungi not detected.

>

>

> CAn anyone help me figure out what the heck to do with this

> information? : ) This is from the tests we sent from the radiator

> in our bedroom.

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Carl, thanks for your very detailed response. I have to back up and say that

I didn't understand that this was a negative result. I don't understand the

language of the report at all. I don't know what it means when it says there

are no fungal spores, but there are some spores of certain species. So when you

say that's a negative result, that is, firstly, what I was looking for, because

I am very new to this. To me I did not understand how to know the difference

between a negative and positive result based on what I read on that report. I

still don't really get it, but I'll take your word that it was negative.

The reason we sampled the radiator is it's the only place in the apartment where

we could see anything that looked remotely like mold (it has this stuff all over

it that looks like mold to me, and looks different from what is on our other

radiator, which looks like dust), and because that radiator leaks water like

crazy all down the pipes, so we thought maybe the mold had been growing there

since last winter when the radiator was last on.

Our apartment does not have any other water leaks, pipe leaks or other obvious

moisture sources. We're fastidiously clean all around the apartment in general,

and the walls do not seem to have much possibillity of having mold behind them

because of the way the building is constructed (the walls are basically like

cement with no wood and no space " behind " anything.. We can't smell anything

that smells musty or smells like mildew in any part of the apartment.

We have always had a dehumidifier in the summer and a humidifier in the winter

to keep the humidity around 30-40 percent, because we have instruments that need

humidity control. We have no attics, crawlspaces or any hidden areas in the

building. We are on the 3rd floor, planning to move to the 5th floor on the

other side of the complex within a week or two.

The only other possibility that we can think of is the air conditioner, and we

cannot sample that because we can't see anything to sample. But we did take a

culture plate and sent it out for testing because it did have a fair amount of

mold after less than 24 hours. Unfortunately we have to wait for two weeks for

that. In the meantime we will have the A/C removed and either thrown away or

cleaned if possible. (My preference is to trash it, my husband wants to see

about cleaning it). The radiator is in the bedroom on the other side of the

apartment from the A/C.

The culture plate we did in the bedroom, near the radiator, is coming back with

some mold on it. I have not yet sent that. Unfortunately we couldn't get

enough tests at Home Depot and we didn't do a control sample, so I am unsure how

helpful it would be to send the sample from the bedroom to be tested.

Since we are moving, my main concern at this point is making sure we try to

eliminate bringing stuff that may have mold in it. But particularly since I

don't even know for sure if this is from mold, and if it is from mold, what the

source of the mold is (there has to be a source, right???) I don't want to just

trash all my possessions from the last 35 years, you know?

Anyway thank you again for your response and for listening -- I do appreciate it

very much and if you or anyone has suggestions on how to proceed with or without

further testing that would be great. I know I have been asking a lot of

questions but I've also been doing a lot of reading on this offline and doing

kind of " experiments " with going away and coming back from here and moving

around in the apartment, etc., and doing whatever I can to do all the detecting.

But I feel a bit stuck.

Thanks

Lori

[Guest guest]

you maybe can take your hardwood item if they are aired and cleaned up

beforehand but you can not take mattresses, sofas, etc. Some people say you can

dry clean your clothes twice, etc. or wash them in ammonia, grapefruit seed

oil, etc. everything would have to be cleaned before going into your new

place--dishes, pots and pans,etc. and don't take books, papers, etc. they

harbor mold. copy the necessary papers and throw out the originals.

Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote: Any help understanding this would

be great. I feel totally lost. This is from what we sent to Texas Tech, but I

don't get what it means AT ALL.

Also the culture plate we had in our bedroom is now growing mold. I guess I need

to send it off, too. I just don't know where the mold in there would be coming

from.

It's all very upsetting and difficult right now. Yes, we're going to move within

a couple of weeks but, no, I can't get rid of absolutely all my possessions.

So I don't know how to know what to bring and what not to bring. Any guidelines

on what would be more likely to have mold in it if we bring it along with us?

Thanks

Lori

help interepreting results

Tape slide : The tape slide did not show the presence of any fungal growth

sites. Fungal growth sites are determined by the presence of fungal spores,

conidiophores and hyphae. Some spores of Cladosporium species, Ascospores and

Penicillium/Aspergillus-like were seen. They are commonly recovered from the air

and a variety of surfaces.

Swab : Culturable fungi not detected.

CAn anyone help me figure out what the heck to do with this information? : )

This is from the tests we sent from the radiator in our bedroom.

Thanks

Lori

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Its my understanding that concrete buildings *often* have mold

problems just like any other building can.. Molds can grow on quite a

few things...If excessive water is present, as in high humidity, and

there isn't ventilation to let it dry out, its quite probable mold

will grow.. somewhere.. It may be inside the walls, somewhere.. driven

by leaks, seepage or condensation..

Others may disagree.. I'm not a professional.. but Ive heard of

concrete buildings having lots of problems just like other buildings..

They have different design issues that could cause problems.. but they

exist just the same...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the feedback on this,

We just bought a brand new mattress a few months ago that isn't even anywhere

near paid for -- can we take that? It hasn't been here that long so I'm

guessing that it might be okay .... ??? : (

I never dry clean clothes if I can help it --- so toxic!!

Wow this feels so overwhelming. We have thousands upon thousands of papers (I

run a business from home). They are well organized and they don't seem to have

mold in any way. Is it really necessary to dump all the papers? Plus my

husband is a musician and he has thousands of dollars worth of music books.

This would be devastating to have to pitch all of it. Isn't there anyway to

tell what might be okay to take and what might not be rather than just saying

all has to go???

Feeling really upset by all this. Plus I doubt my husband, while he

cares about my health, would ever ever agree to pitching all this stuff.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Thanks, bbw, that is helpful. I just didn't realize the tape slide would catch

spores from the air in such a quick time. : )

In the culture plate from the bedroom there are about three bigger molds, about

a centimeter or less in diameter, after 4 days. There are a few other tiny ones

around the plate, too. I don't know but I seem to remember somebody saying

something about the type of mold, if it's all the same that's worse because it

means there's like a colony somewhere, but if they are different that is okay.

The mold from the air conditioner all looked the same and it was much more

prolific than this in a short time period (under 24 hours). The mold in the

bedroom, the three bigger ones, all look completely different from each other.

So maybe that's good ... ???

I'm thinking of not sending this bedroom one for analysis, and trying to get

more plates, and then doing a control sample here at the same time this time, as

well as at the same time doing one in the new apartment. Thanks again.

Lori

[Guest guest]

NO YOU CAN NOT. THAT IS WHERE YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME.

Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote: Thanks for the feedback on this,

We just bought a brand new mattress a few months ago that isn't even anywhere

near paid for -- can we take that? It hasn't been here that long so I'm guessing

that it might be okay .... ??? : (

I never dry clean clothes if I can help it --- so toxic!!

Wow this feels so overwhelming. We have thousands upon thousands of papers (I

run a business from home). They are well organized and they don't seem to have

mold in any way. Is it really necessary to dump all the papers? Plus my husband

is a musician and he has thousands of dollars worth of music books. This would

be devastating to have to pitch all of it. Isn't there anyway to tell what might

be okay to take and what might not be rather than just saying all has to go???

:( Feeling really upset by all this. Plus I doubt my husband, while he cares

about my health, would ever ever agree to pitching all this stuff.

Lori

[Guest guest]

--Its hard to say what might be saveable or not, theres a lot of

variables, and if you cant afford to replace items its worth a try,

the mattress may be saveable if you dont have a high moisture content

in the home, if you do, the mattress will soak up moisture and with

dry mold spores it could be a problem, you might try airing it out a

few days outside, wear a mask and beat it with a broom, hopefully its

ok, but hard to say, it would be protected somewhat from sheets and

if it absorbed mycotoxins you may be able to air it out, you may even

want to try dry vac on it. paper it seems do absorb mold smell

weather that includes mycotoxins I dont know, but I have several

books that I saved still in plastic containers, I cleaned the

outsides but still cant open them to read without haveing a reaction.

some things you might just store and try to deturmine later if you

can decontaminate them to the point where you can keep them. I didn't

try to save my mattress because it was damp to the touch from high

moisture in the home, when I went back later on, it was covered with

spots of mold growth. if its dry mold dust contamination it may be

saveable, but you have to use your own judgement on that. I would not

take anything straight from one place to another, but I wouldn't tell

anyone to just walk away from theri belongings without looking into

trying to save some of them either. I also think that you have to get

away from it all and get over the immedate symptoms of mold exposure

before you can even tell if somethings causes a reation or not. but I

would try cleaning things first while outside and with mask before

testing to see if you still react to it. cloths,blankets, I would

wash with ammonia a few times, bought from grocery store follow

directions on bottle. weather you want to even risk trying to save

anything is up to you, and no one can tell you if things can be saved

or not. to play it tottally safe and if you can afford it, walk away,

but most of us cant do that. does your mattress have any higher

amounts of mold than in a normal house after airing and cleaning? we

cant answer that either. I saw a oprah show where even mattresses and

pillows from 'mold free' homes have high amounts of mold spores. I

really dont think anyone can give a right answer for you on

this.

- In , Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote:

>

> Thanks for the feedback on this,

>

> We just bought a brand new mattress a few months ago that isn't

even anywhere near paid for -- can we take that? It hasn't been here

that long so I'm guessing that it might be okay .... ??? : (

>

> I never dry clean clothes if I can help it --- so toxic!!

>

> Wow this feels so overwhelming. We have thousands upon thousands

of papers (I run a business from home). They are well organized and

they don't seem to have mold in any way. Is it really necessary to

dump all the papers? Plus my husband is a musician and he has

thousands of dollars worth of music books. This would be devastating

to have to pitch all of it. Isn't there anyway to tell what might be

okay to take and what might not be rather than just saying all has to

go???

>

> Feeling really upset by all this. Plus I doubt my

husband, while he cares about my health, would ever ever agree to

pitching all this stuff.

>

> Lori

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

LiveSimply,

I agree with you that concrete buildings are no guarantee. One of the

more difficult attempts at a solution was in the mountains where all

exterior and some interior walls were cement blocks. The cold outside

air in winter cooled the walls to below the dewpoint creating

condensation, especially in the corners. (just like the condensation

on the windows). The temperatures on the wall surfaces were so cold

we couldn't reduce the humidity enough to stop the condensation. The

painted surface with its always present dust and other debris (bio-

film) created a more than adequate environment for growth. It just

kept growing back because the water source (condensation) couldn't be

stopped until the outside temperature warmed considerably.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Lori,

>

>

> Its my understanding that concrete buildings *often* have mold

> problems just like any other building can.. Molds can grow on quite a

> few things...If excessive water is present, as in high humidity, and

> there isn't ventilation to let it dry out, its quite probable mold

> will grow.. somewhere.. It may be inside the walls, somewhere.. driven

> by leaks, seepage or condensation..

>

> Others may disagree.. I'm not a professional.. but Ive heard of

> concrete buildings having lots of problems just like other buildings..

> They have different design issues that could cause problems.. but they

> exist just the same...

>

>

>

>

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Determining what you can safely keep, what must be discarded and what

may need time in storeage is probably the most difficult task. Not

everyone needs to dispose of everything but some people do. It all

depends on how sensitive you''ve become to the mold, the various

components of the mold and everything associated with it.

Clean the hard surfaces, try cleaning semi-porous surfaces and

forgetting about porous surfaces is a good starting point. Papers can

sometimes be copied, keeping the copies.

Will it be enough? How close to absolute removal must you achieve to

prevent reactions? The answers will vary from person to person. The

more senstive you are, the more meticulous the cleanup. Is it worth

the risk? Are your known consequences of exposure inconvenience,

nuisance, debilitation or life threatening? Figuring out that tipping

point is the trick. It can only be determined by trial and error -

Or, simply assume the worst and get rid of it all. It's a very tough

call.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> you maybe can take your hardwood item if they are aired and cleaned up

> beforehand but you can not take mattresses, sofas, etc. Some people

> say you can dry clean your clothes twice, etc. or wash them in

> ammonia, grapefruit seed oil, etc. everything would have to be

> cleaned before going into your new place--dishes, pots and pans,etc.

> and don't take books, papers, etc. they harbor mold. copy the

> necessary papers and throw out the originals.

>

> Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote: Any help understanding

> this would be great. I feel totally lost. This is from what we sent to

> Texas Tech, but I don't get what it means AT ALL.

>

> Also the culture plate we had in our bedroom is now growing mold. I

> guess I need to send it off, too. I just don't know where the mold in

> there would be coming from.

>

> It's all very upsetting and difficult right now. Yes, we're going to

> move within a couple of weeks but, no, I can't get rid of absolutely

> all my possessions. So I don't know how to know what to bring and

> what not to bring. Any guidelines on what would be more likely to have

> mold in it if we bring it along with us?

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

> help interepreting results

>

> Tape slide : The tape slide did not show the presence of any fungal

> growth sites. Fungal growth sites are determined by the presence of

> fungal spores, conidiophores and hyphae. Some spores of Cladosporium

> species, Ascospores and Penicillium/Aspergillus-like were seen. They

> are commonly recovered from the air and a variety of surfaces.

>

> Swab : Culturable fungi not detected.

>

> CAn anyone help me figure out what the heck to do with this

> information? : ) This is from the tests we sent from the radiator in

> our bedroom.

>

> Thanks

>

> Lori

>

>

[Guest guest]

" Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote:

>

> LiveSimply,

>

> I agree with you that concrete buildings are no guarantee. One of

the more difficult attempts at a solution was in the mountains where

all exterior and some interior walls were cement blocks. The cold

outside air in winter cooled the walls to below the dewpoint

creating condensation, especially in the corners. (just like the

condensation on the windows). The temperatures on the wall surfaces

were so cold we couldn't reduce the humidity enough to stop the

condensation. The painted surface with its always present dust and

other debris (bio- film) created a more than adequate environment

for growth. It just kept growing back because the water source

(condensation) couldn't be stopped until the outside temperature

warmed considerably.

>

> Carl Grimes

> Healthy Habitats LLC

Amvicsystem, metal truss and roof.

http://www.amvicsystem.com/

-

[Guest guest]

Carl,

Thanks for your thoughtful response. Everyone's responses here have been

invaluable to me.

For me the most difficult part is that we aren't even sure that mold is what is

causing the problems, and if it is mold, where it's coming from.

Thanks

Lori

[Guest guest]

I appreciate the response -- but why can't we take it? How do we know there is

mold in it? Why would there be mold in it? We cannot afford to buy ANY new

furniture, so anything we don't take we won't have -- and all we have is a sofa

and a bed basically. We are going to get rid of the sofa most likely but my

god. I don't know what to do now.

Lori

[Guest guest]

We don't really have a high moisture content in the home -- like I mentioned in

an earlier post, we keep the rooms year-long humidity controlled because of my

husband's instruments. And I guess what I am trying to say is I still don't

know if this is all from mold or not. : (

(Sigh) It gets more and more confusing for me. Am I looking down the wrong

road completely? Does this have nothing to do with mold at all??? Is it

everything to do with mold and it's in everything? There doesn't seem to be any

in between, and I just don't feel like I have any answers or even know how to

look for them.

Do most of you here have an actual source of mold that you know you have been

exposed to, and that is where you are coming from? Or are you like me where you

are reacting to something but you don't know what or where it is???

We can move slowly into the new apartment, and that's what we plan to do. So my

idea now is for me to sleep in the new apartment as soon as we can, and slowly

move stuff across to the new apartment and see if anything bothers me. But my

reaction is not immediate or completely obvious every time.

Thanks again for all responses, I want to hear all sides. I just feel

overwhelmed.

Lori

[Guest guest]

If I knew there was mold in the books I would throw them away, probably not

microwave them. But I just don't know that there IS mold in them -- that's the

problem I'm having. I agree getting rid of the mold is the way to go, but I

also think there has to be a better way than just throwing away the baby and the

bathwater all at once.

I don't have a microwave and don't plan on getting one but if this was something

that worked I would consider borrowing one or something.

Lori

[Guest guest]

did you renovate recently, paint or use pesticides???

Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote: We don't really have a high

moisture content in the home -- like I mentioned in an earlier post, we keep the

rooms year-long humidity controlled because of my husband's instruments. And I

guess what I am trying to say is I still don't know if this is all from mold or

not. : (

(Sigh) It gets more and more confusing for me. Am I looking down the wrong road

completely? Does this have nothing to do with mold at all??? Is it everything to

do with mold and it's in everything? There doesn't seem to be any in between,

and I just don't feel like I have any answers or even know how to look for them.

Do most of you here have an actual source of mold that you know you have been

exposed to, and that is where you are coming from? Or are you like me where you

are reacting to something but you don't know what or where it is???

We can move slowly into the new apartment, and that's what we plan to do. So my

idea now is for me to sleep in the new apartment as soon as we can, and slowly

move stuff across to the new apartment and see if anything bothers me. But my

reaction is not immediate or completely obvious every time.

Thanks again for all responses, I want to hear all sides. I just feel

overwhelmed.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Leigh,

No, we haven't painted, renovated or used pesticides.

My reaction started when we came back from vacation after being gone for three

weeks. I may have been having a reaction in the apartment earlier, but this was

noticeable because I felt fine while we were gone, and terrible when we got

back. Since then I've left for a few nights at a time and I get better when I

leave.

Lori

[Guest guest]

read up on molds and decide for yourself.

Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote: If I knew there was mold in the

books I would throw them away, probably not microwave them. But I just don't

know that there IS mold in them -- that's the problem I'm having. I agree

getting rid of the mold is the way to go, but I also think there has to be a

better way than just throwing away the baby and the bathwater all at once.

I don't have a microwave and don't plan on getting one but if this was something

that worked I would consider borrowing one or something.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Leigh, I have been reading up a lot on molds, and then I came to this group.

Reading has not given me the answers. In fact I feel even more confused than

when I started even though I spend hours every day on this problem trying to

figure out what to do and doing different kind of experiments on my body, taking

cultures, sending them away, etc.

I do appreciate all your responses, but I don't understand the point of this

group if your answer is just to throw away everything or to read up on molds and

decide for myself. I thought the value was to talk to people who have been

through it and see what they've done and how they have determined these things

and get a variety of experience.

I'm sorry if I have offended you in some way. I am just trying to get help like

everyone else here. I do not expect to get the holy grail but I just am looking

for guidance.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Before you go running for the hills and throw everything away I

would keep trying to find out what may be getting you sick. It may

not be mold, it could be a number of other indoor contaminates. I

read a story where several people (at different locations) bought

some specialty items at a well known store and each one of them

started coming down with several different symptoms. It turned out

that the items that they bought had been treated with a chemcial

that was not used in the US and it was off gasing and causing them

reactions. Also, another time it turned out to be minute bugs that

where transported in the products, again causing reactions. These

are just a small example of things that many may not consider.

I wouldn't give up hope, take a deep breath and relax. No one here

has the all the answers, if they did they wouldn't be here

themselves.

Just my two cents,

Sharon C.

>

> Leigh, I have been reading up a lot on molds, and then I came to

this group. Reading has not given me the answers. In fact I feel

even more confused than when I started even though I spend hours

every day on this problem trying to figure out what to do and doing

different kind of experiments on my body, taking cultures, sending

them away, etc.

>

> I do appreciate all your responses, but I don't understand the

point of this group if your answer is just to throw away everything

or to read up on molds and decide for myself. I thought the value

was to talk to people who have been through it and see what they've

done and how they have determined these things and get a variety of

experience.

>

> I'm sorry if I have offended you in some way. I am just trying to

get help like everyone else here. I do not expect to get the holy

grail but I just am looking for guidance.

>

> Lori

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much, Sharon. The only thing I know for sure is it's something in the

apartment and when I go away I feel better.

I have wondered about the new mattress -- I don't know how to find out if is

giving off chemicals, though. How do you find that out?

The main reason I focused on mold is because the reaction I'm having is what I

get if I ingest mushrooms. Other than that I have no clue -- my symptoms are

not necessarily typical of anything in particular. There is lead paint here,

but my understanding is if I had symptoms from lead, they might not go away if I

left. But I'll get the blood test for lead back next week and maybe that will

shed some light.

I'll keep plugging away. We will be able to move over a week or two's time,

which is good. But we will have to be out of here by October 1st, so that is

stressing me out because obviously I don't want to bring the big THING whatever

it is with us.

Thanks again

Lori

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Does the radiator have water in it that was

leaking or was water leaking ONTO the radiator.

--- Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote:

> Hi Carl, thanks for your very detailed

> response. I have to back up and say that I

> didn't understand that this was a negative

> result. I don't understand the language of the

> report at all. I don't

[Guest guest]

Lori,

I was looking at office space where I live since

I have a tremendous amount of papers and

documents I must go through. Many are 175 or 200

a month with janitorial services included etc.

Perhaps for your business you could use a small

one room office space for working on papers and

business end of things, music and at least keep

some distance from living areas. HOWEVER, you

may not have 'mold problem'. You don't know yet.

Presence of mold doesn't mean you have 'mold or

toxic problem'.

I think also there is a place you can send a

suspect item to test for myctoxins. Texas Tech

or P & K Labs perhaps???

I would get a set of 4 to 8 culture plates from

Dallas and run those, one control outside and

others in areas you suspect or you spend the most

time before winter sets in, since you see no

visible mold. In winter my plates were okay but

in summer the mold count in house was high, so I

was thinking everything was okay but it was just

that humidity was too low for things to show up.

Don't buy anyting new until you figure this out.

--- Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote:

> Thanks for the feedback on this,

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Pick a day when humidity is pretty high to get a

worse case scenerio. Maybe do one plate with a/c

on and one with a/c off (you'd do the off first).

I had mold testing done that made my house sound

like it was a good place to perform surgery, so

clean, now the summer plates are very bad,

difference in humidity outside and inside of

house, summer and winter.

That was the case. I tested at wrong time, and

problem existed but low humidity hide it.

I will post results sometime but I've busy

looking for a temporary place to stay ever since

I got the results, after two years of talking

about getting out, I finally went running when I

got the results back. I thought house was fine

after cleaning up one problem area. Also results

of the house tests match results of my physical

problems so out I finally went, staying at the

best smelling place I could find. I didn't know

how else to pick it.

--- Lori Baur <lori@...> wrote:

> Thanks, bbw, that is helpful. I just didn't

> realize the tape slide would catch spores from

> the air in such a quick time. : )