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Google Alert Nov 2, 2006

GOT MOLD...?By Jeff Rabedeau (RLH Holdings, LLC)(Jeff Rabedeau (RLH Holdings, LLC)) "You need to know what kind of mold you have. Some is the very dangerous mold ... Get a mold test kit but maybe someone on this board can tell you where to ... Since mold is microscopic and you won't be able to see most of it I apply a ...Jeff's Blog - http://activerain.com/blogs/rabwolv

GOT MOLD...?

The following information was provided by a fellow investor. Great info, if I do say so myself!

"You need to know what kind of mold you have. Some is the very dangerous mold that causes sickness and some is just annoying. Get a mold test kit but maybe someone on this board can tell you where to send the sample for analysis. Depending on where the results are send will depend on whether formal mediation is required.

Before you remove any walls etc make sure to spray with 50/50 bleach water. Once that is dry make sure to have adequate protection before your remove anything. Since mold is microscopic and you won't be able to see most of it I apply a product called Microban liberally around the area. It will kill what you can't see especially in insulation and hard to reach areas. It will also spread and keep killing the mold because Microban feeds on mold. Good luck"

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/microban.html

Posted by Jeff Rabedeau on 11/01/2006 12:11 PM

Comments (2)

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2 Comments on GOT MOLD...?

Hey Jeff,

I am a real estate agent and one whose family survived a horrible mold situation. Had a leak in an icemaker line. Our insurer sent to us incompetent, untrained workers/lab. The little leak that was not dried properly turned into a huge mold problem. It was blown throughout the house. I got sick. My daughter got sick. Two years and $80K in litigation costs later, the matter settled out of court. Would not wish the "Toxic Mold Issue" on my worst enemy.

I really hate to see real estate agents get caught in the middle of this issue when all they are trying to do is transfer ownership of properties, not become microbial consultants. As one who has been thru this, I have to tell you, there is some REALLY BAD advice in the above Got Mold? Blog.

1. "Some molds are dangerous and some are annoying" is wrong. If you have a water damaged property, you are going to have species of molds that are known to produce toxic, allergic or irritant effects. The question is, in what amount and who will get sick? Some people's immune systems make them more susceptible. So if you have excessive mold from water damage, get rid of it. It can be a substantial liability if someone gets sick from your water damaged property. And you never know who that will be, or how much of an exposure will make them sick. In order to get rid of the mold, it is common wisdom that you first have to stop the source/leak of the water. Otherwise, you are just chasing your tail to try to remove the mold. It will grow back.

2."Before you remove any walls etc make sure to spray with 50/50 bleach water." Wrong advice again. Depending upon the amount of mold present, this method can "anger" the mold and their toxins. When you try to kill it, it fights back. Shoots off it's mycotoxins in self defense. They then become airborne and easy to inhale. Many times, bleach being sprayed on the mold, is exactly the action that causes the illness. The pregnant should NEVER try to remove mold, as illustrated in the following CDC doc. http://www.otispregnancy.org/pdf/mold.pdf

3. Microban is a good product I am told, but it should not be sprayed until the mold is entirely removed from the building material. It is only meant to be used to kill the remaining spores AFTER a successful clean up, as I understand it. And again, protection should be worn when spraying the Microban. Those angry spores really do not like that stuff.

So its a bit of a complicated issue. The rules are different if one is scrubbing a little mold from their shower, then they are if one has an active mold infestation of an area that is more than about 10 x 10. (But even less can harm you, if you are not protected from breathing while removing)

If I have questions about what is appropriate, I go to the IEQuality chatboard. This is the chatboard for those who work within the indoor air quality issue. They are microbiologists, engineers, CIH's, remediators, etc. They are always willing to help one out with case specific questions.

Hope this information is of benefit. Thru education we can limit the illness caused by the matter, limit the financial liability caused by the matter, and keep this issue out of the courtroom as much as possible. Know the right direction to take for your specific situation before you act to remove mold, and we will all save a lot of time, lives and money.

11/02/2006

by Sharon Kramer

Thanks Sharon for sharing....I really do appreciate that!

Thanks for correcting this post as well. I, personally, do not know anything about mold so.....this was a real eye-opener.

I'll be sure to tell the person who wrote this.

Thanks again!

11/02/2006

by

So.....did I do good at explaining generically, or no?

Sharon