Mold ... A growing concern

Mold has been around for millions of years, but it has captured the attention of most residents of Washington only in the last few. It's crept into the public consciousness mainly because the cost of removing or preventing it can run into the millions of dollars. Beware of HVAC companies doing mold inspections, these can run into the thousands and are usally set out to sell you a whole house system when one may not be needed..

It's not known exactly how many species of mold exist, but the estimates of scientists and microbiologists generally place the number at around 100,000. Some species of mold are neither toxic nor harmful to humans, and some are actually beneficial. However, all molds produce spores when they reproduce, and some of those spores produce mycotoxins, or poison. In order to live, these spores must have a source of moisture and organic material upon which to feed.

Toxic Mold

Mold may be found in many structures--homes, apartments, office buildings and schools--and knows no economic boundaries. Poor construction, poor air circulation and suspect building materials are on a growing list of factors that contribute to mold growth.

There are no standards for determining what levels of mold exposure are safe and what levels are hazardous because different people are able to withstand different levels of contamination. Mold concerns are so new, conclusive medical studies have not been made. Still, best is avoiding mold growth and mycotoxins.

Homeowners in several states complain of extreme illness in humans and pets.

Costly growth
"Next year we expect things to be fairly close to this year, if not slightly higher," said Gary Preuss of the Comptroller's Revenue Estimating Division. "After that it may be down slightly for a year or two before getting back on the rise in 2005."

Clean up is not a breeze
Household bleach and water are usually enough to handle minor mold problems, but wet, porous building materials can allow mold spores to multiply at will. Stachybotrys chartarum is probably the most recognized form of toxic mold in the State of Washington. Commonly called "black mold," it releases mycotoxins into the air that then can be carried along by closed ventilation systems and even by people's shoes or clothing.

Remediation of a mold problem can displace residents of a household for months at a time, adding emotional tolls to the physical and economic impact of such an event. Work within the structure could range anywhere from the simple replacement of carpet to the complete removal of entire walls.

Furthering the dilemma, reported problems of toxic mold are increasing quickly and remediation companies are springing up to handle consumer requests, yet there are no legal guidelines for such companies to follow. Call or email us today for a professional Mold Inspection!