Archive for July 2007
Preventing Summertime Mold
July 27, 2007, 11:18 amHere’s an informative article from WSIL in Southern Illinois:
With the summer season upon us, some local cleaning companies are urging residents to be aware of a fungus that could be taking over your home. While mold has it’s share of benefits for the environment, it could be harming your house, and your health.
The Centers for Disease Control say mold grows both indoors and outdoors. It thrives in moist and humid environments, can be different colors, and may have a musty smell.
With over one-thousand different types of mold, James Mueller with Majestic Janitorial Supply says chances are, there’s some in your home.
“Mold grows at 50% humidity or above so if you can maintain a 50% or below humidity, you can control mold,” says Mueller.
But that can be easier said than done since humidity and moisture are everywhere. “Something as simple as cooking, washing dishes, shower of course– steam we get in our bathrooms.”
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(posted in the Resources, News category)
Flooding troubles Knoxville apt. complex with mold problems
July 25, 2007, 11:26 amIt’s tragic the way mold comes in the wake of water damage to bring even greater harm and long term impact. Here’s a story from Knoxville Tennessee:
KNOXVILLE (WATE) — There’s more trouble at a North Knoxville apartment complex that’s already lost two tenants to a mold problem.
6 On Your Side investigated those mold problems at Lyon’s Den Apartments earlier in July.
Early Monday morning, water started leaking in a first floor unit. The Maxwell family says water came through the walls, the ceiling and even the vents.
“This is the water that was coming out the ceiling. It’s bubbled up. Then it was coming out the vents as you can see some of the water drippings are still there,” Naquilta Maxwell says.
A maintenance worker told 6 News a flooded toilet on the third floor of the complex is to blame.
All renters in Tennessee are protected by the Landlord Tenant Act, which forces landlords to make repairs to keep a home in a fit and habitable condition.
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(posted in the News category)
Residents Blame Health Issues on Mold
July 24, 2007, 11:22 amThis is another tragic story from Santa Clarita Valley California involving more significant health effects from mold exposure:
Heather Reder has a disease that typically only occurs in those twice her age. Three years ago, a CT scan found nodules on the 24-year-old’s throat. The doctors performed exploratory surgery and, when complications arose, the tissue buildup in her throat prevented the doctors from intubating.
Heather now uses a trachea tube to breathe.
Next door, Albert “Mack” McDougal could soon be tested for cancer of the larynx after he lost his voice for five months earlier this year.
After hearing of their problems, Carrie Larson across the street is concerned about a common denominator: They all have mold growing in their homes.
Two of the families that live on Saddleback Ridge Road in Canyon Country have filed a lawsuit against the builder of their houses, Ryland Homes, because of what they consider to be persistent mold problems. The two houses, both built eight years ago, were rebuilt in 2005 to fix the mold problems.
Reder was diagnosed in 2004 with Wegener’s granulomatosis, a disease thought to be autoimmune in nature. The Reders know they don’t have proof that mold exposure caused the disease, but Heather’s mother, Sheri, said she has no doubt that the mold, at the very least, exacerbated the problem.
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(posted in the News category)
Blog post on mold from New Orleans
July 17, 2007, 8:24 amHere’s a blog post from Matt Robinson in New Orleans regarding his own exposure to mold in the wake of Hurricane Katrina:
Those good people at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine are determined to let us know how filthy our environment is. They have a program called the Healthy Home Project to test indoor air quality, and are testing the air in my home for mold, radon, nitrogen dioxide, and other undesirable things. In the photo is the tiny machine that tests for mold spores. Needless to say, I can’t wait to see how badly my house in infested with mold.
Luckily my apartment is on the second floor, so it avoided floodwaters two years ago. But it’s over half a century old, maybe more, and even if it hasn’t been flooded it still has had summer after summer of stale humidity behind it.
Having worked in the Lower 9th Ward last summer, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’ve been exposed to ambient mold in the air before, and my body seems to have dealt with it acceptably. I was smoking a great deal at the time, though, under the (possibly deluded) impression that, if I kept the cilia of my lungs clogged with nicotine and tar, there would be no room for mold or other toxins to take up residence.
I haven’t smoked in over a month, though, so if my dubious theory was correct, I have less tolerance to airborne matter now. I won’t go back to smoking, no matter what the air tests find (unless there’s another hurricane that hits Louisiana this year … then you better believe I’m gonna crumble like a house of cards), so I hope the air in my home is clean.
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(posted in the Resources, News category)
Rising mold in Tennessee and Oklahoma
July 14, 2007, 8:19 amSo far this summer we’ve seen all sorts of crazy weather patterns that have had severe impacts upon various different regions. While the south west and south east have both faced serious droughts, the Tennessee and Oklahoma are have had really wet and humid conditions, that have contributed to a substantial rise in mold infestations. Here’s an article from KOTV in Tulsa:
It’s going to take much more than Friday’s smattering of sunshine to dry things out this summer. Damp conditions are driving many Tulsans mad over mold. The News On 6’s Heather Lewin reports Green Country’s getting a little too green for some this summer, with brackish water breeding moss and mold in their neighborhoods.
“Actually there’s like a little stream going in the street all the time from all the houses, all the water,” said homeowner David Karam.
Karam says this is his first encounter with the fast growing fungus.
“This is my first time seeing it, especially on that tree. That’s the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s been raining like constantly for six weeks now, so we’re seeing it everywhere,” Karam said.
“You get a lot of problems when the moisture doesn’t go away,” said Best Hardware employee Shawn Calaway. “The mold is gonna proliferate.”
Calaway says customers have been coming in seeking solutions. The most basic mold killer is a bottle of bleach. It works best on small spots, but can damage your plants and grass, so Calaway recommends putting down some plastic first.
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(posted in the News category)