A well written mold article. Not overblown, Not underblown.

[Guest guest]

It’s time for the public to join the mold-busters fight

By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

We all have mold in our houses, but not everyone has a toxic mold problem, which must be cleared up as soon as it is diagnosed.

WORCESTER— There’s a fungus among us and it’s not necessarily something to fear, but something we should be aware of and care about. In the wake of news reports focusing on a Dudley family fleeing their single-family home after a severe case of toxic mold, mold remediation specialist Power of the Worcester-based Commonwealth Environmental Services has spearheaded an effort to bring mold experts, scientists, remediation specialists, contractors and contractor suppliers together to better educate and inform the public. For its inaugural “Breakfast Mold Club†meeting, Mr. Power was joined by his sister, Power, co-owner of Commonwealth Environmental Services; Jon , an insulator contractor and manager of Imperial/Worldwide Inc. in Shrewsbury; Daven Nataupsky, representing Owens Corning/NES in Worcester; lab director Stanca; and microbiology laboratory director Martha Kneizys, both of Pro-Science Analytical Services Inc. in Woburn; and Mark Goldman, senior air quality scientist and certified microbial consultant at EFI Global in Andover.

Earlier this month, and Jakubowski, along with their three children — , 9, Clair, 6, and 5-month-old daughter Lily — left their home at 169 Klondike Road in Dudley. The couple bought the home in September 2005. A month after they moved in, the family started getting sick. Pro-Science Analytical Services did the mold testing on the Jakubowski home at no charge, and Commonwealth Environmental Services will be doing all the demolition and mold remediation at no charge. Imperial/Worldwide is donating the labor to install CertainTeed DryRight moisture control fiberglass insulation (donated by the manufacturer). In addition, Mr. Goldman has provided consulting information, as well as his expertise. “We’re trying to bring the awareness from the very beginning to the very end — from identifying the problem to removing the problem to the rebuilding and the prevention of,†Mr. Power explained. “There are some great products coming out now that are going to help homeowners, business owners and contractors. Probably the most difficult group out there that we, as a group here, need to reach is the contractor.†So what is mold? Mold is a fungus — a parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll, a rigid cell wall, leaves, true stems and roots. We all have mold in our houses, but not everyone has a toxic mold problem. “Mold is ubiquitous in the world,†Mr. Goldman said. “It’s in beer, yeast, bread. It’s in everything. Every breath we have ever taken has mold spores in it. There are a thousand kinds of mold, obviously beneficial ones and less than beneficial.†A household mold problem usually triggers the senses in the form of cold and/or flu-like symptoms. “The most typical (sign you have a mold problem) is the odor, the musty odor, which is a sensory and pulmonary irritant, which can cause eye, nose, throat and upper airway irritation,†Mr. Goldman said. “It can trigger an asthma attack if you already have asthma. It can certainly aggravate allergies.†One of the reasons mold isn’t regulated is because of the huge discrepancies in sensitivity to mold. “Let’s take an arbitrary number of 500 spores per meter cube is safe for everyone at this table to breath in,†Ms. Kneizys explained. “If I have a compromised immune system or I have asthma, I could react at 100. It matters on the individual.†The most dangerous indoor molds are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Stachybotrys. In air samples taken from the Jakubowski home, Ms. Kneizys found under the microscope Penicillium-Aspergillius (which, according to Mr. Goldman, is a strong indicator of water damage). A 500 spore count or higher is a level of concern. The samples from that house with the lowest mold spore count totaled 11,600 and in several rooms (including the baby’s room) the readings were “TNTC†or “too numerous to count.†And mold lives in a lot of hidden places too. Mold can live in the attic, the basement, inside wall cavities and underneath carpeting and wallpaper, as well as inside air and heating ducts. Ms. Kneizys explained that you need three conditions to grow mold: an organic food source (organic building materials and other cellulose-based materials such as carpeting, upholstery and clothing), moisture and relative humidity. Mold in the home usually comes down to moisture. If you have a broken water pipe, leaky roof or flooded basement, Ms. Kneizys said, the homeowner has a 48-hour window to clean up and dry out before mold starts to grow. If you control moisture, chances are you can control mold growth indoors. However, that is easier said than done, since some of the luxuries of home (such as floor covering and even cooling units) have created unintentionally favorable conditions for mold to flourish. “Since World War II, we changed the way we build buildings. In the old days, they were plaster. They had hard wood. They didn’t have carpeting and they didn’t have sheet rock and they didn’t have air conditioning, all things that contribute to mold,†Mr. Goldman said. “People just are not equipped. In fact, many commercial establishments and schools are not properly trained and equipped to deal with the new products that are more sensitive. …We are getting better. We’re learning the lesson of getting cheap, but more water-resistant, more breathable products.†A common misconception is that a house has to be old to have mold. On the contrary, Mr. Goldman said, newer homes can be more susceptible to mold because there can be more moisture. Mr. Power said his company has had as many mold remediation jobs, if not more, in homes that are “brand-spanking new.†Experts said the biggest misconception people have about mold is that you can just wipe it with some bleach and it goes away. In fact, it’s going to come back again, if you haven’t changed the environment or gotten to the root of the problem that hides underneath the surface. With moisture control in mind, Mr. Power said, more folks are using dehumidifiers, which are costly and time-consuming, while a more efficient, less costly option is the Humidex, a moisture control and indoor air quality system that creates “a healthy air exchange†and reduces allergens, mold spores and contaminants. With no federal regulation of mold at this time, Mr. Stanca said, it’s up to private companies, as well as the community, to spread the word on the extent of the problem. “Mold really is a big problem in schools, in offices, all over the place,†Mr. Stanca said. “It’s not only in houses.â€