Mold

I read the posts about mold. Thanks for posting this info. I'm going through a mold issue and am wondering if it is the reason I'm feeling so sick. I discovered that my husband covered three windows with fiberglass insulation. We had a rainy spell for a few days and water was running through a window and into the insulation to the basement. I've been smelling mold everytime we have damp wet weather. Then I feel my worst. It has really got me paranoid as my husband is not affected and does not want to help clean it up or even check it out. I'm totally upset and understand what you gals went through with your flooding. We live in a house that is 125 years old and I'm so afraid that it will get to be imposible to clean up. I never go into the basement, but I smell it everywhere, even on the second floor in the bedrooms. Here I did not know that bleach makes the problem worse, till I read what you all wrote. I've been having my husband spray bleach all over down there. This sure is a scary thing. Here is a website I found with a ton of info about mold.

http://www.mold-help.org/content/category/108/

Aspergillus
Posted by Byrgius Technologies
Sunday, 03 October 2004

The genus Aspergillus includes over 185 species. Around 20 species have so far been reported as causative agents of opportunistic infections in man. Among these, Aspergillus fumigatus is the most commonly isolated species, followed by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Aspergillus clavatus, Aspergillus glaucus group, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus ustus, and Aspergillus versicolor are among the other species less commonly isolated as opportunistic pathogens. Aspergillus is a group of molds which is found world-wide, especially in the autumn and winter in the Northern hemisphere. The fungus also causes allergic diseases in asthmatics and patients suffering from cystic fibrosis.


Val-

mold does not norally grow in large amounts on fiberglass. other types of insulation, made from soy or other organic type materials is heaven for mold. the mold could however be growing on the wood, in the wall around the window ect.

Hi Val,

I fully sympathise with you, i still havent got to the bottom of the mould problem. About a week after the bath overflow i could smell it ALL OVER THE HOUSE, so could my son. I asked my husband to put bicarb and vinegar down the plugholes, he could walk into the bathroom to attend the dehumidifier etc without a problem, he said the only thing he could smell was vinegar!! The musty smell isnt as strong as it was, but i never use the bathroom, i just wash in the sink and have a shower once a week in another room.

I have been in contact with a company that undertakes fungal sampling, a house survey costs more than �2,000, alternatively they sell a fungal sampling kit for �48, with analysis costing more than �300 which includes the identification of the predominat organism to species level, additional identifications are charged at �130.My husband is losing patience, over the last eighteen months we have spent thousands of pounds. He knows i never complained about my health before all this and can clearly see that something is wrong, but he is wary of spending more money, in case its not the prime cause. So i am going to see if it continues to die down, otherwise we might have to get some testing done.

I am hoping that once candida is under control immune system will be able to cope better with chemicals mould etc, its just hard to get candida under control with all these exposures (chicken and egg)

Are you using a dehimifier and getting plenty of ventilation, i closed the windows for about a week and it was much worse.

Ann



Thanks for the website.

Ann


Hi Val,

Yeast is a mold and when it's growing inside of you it affects your whole immune system. When it is also growing in your environment, your body becomes overloaded. Perhaps your husband is not affected because 1. he doesn't have yeast growing inside of him.

2. he's not exposed to it as much as you are

Using anti-fungals to reduce the yeast load in your body can go a long way to help your immune system not be so overwhelmed.

Keep your rooms/home as well ventilated as possible. I know winter is upon us and that is difficult.

Maybe someone can recognize a clean air purifier. I've researched them, but am not convinced of the effectiveness of any brand I've seen.

Tell your husband he should be thankful he is not affected or sensitive to it, but that you are. Taking care of this water leak/mold problem may save mucho dinero in medical bills later on. He may ask what kind. Asthma, upper respiratory, sinus infections, etc... Val, I'm thankful you know about this stuff.

I have an older friend who had severe asthma. She moved in with one of her relatives and hasn't needed her inhaler for four months. I went to her old place and could immediately tell there was a heavy mold problem.

Not to scare you, but I know a lady who had black stachybotrus (sp?) in her home because of a roof leak. This was discovered after she was diagnosed with a disease which required a double lung transplant. Her husband was not affected by the mold in her house. (I visited her two times and both times became ill in her home--before anyone knew there was black stachybotrus mold in her home) The good news is, when she moved out of her home on physicians orders, after about 3 months, she no longer needed a double lung transplant. She was still on oxygen, however she was starting to get better. I lost track of her, so I don't know what happened, but she was well on her way to a markedly improved life last time I saw her. She told me her physician was surprised about the turn for the better. I'm going to have to see if I can find out how she's doing.

Take care. Try to get the mold remediated. As far as I know, there are still no certifications for remediation specialists.

Start by getting some air samples. If you can go to a home improvement store, pick up some home testers for mold. Take a scraping and send it to the lab.