FREE Mold Advice Hotline
Email mold expert Phillip Fry envirodangers@yahoo.com, or phone him at 63-9065104000 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Coast (California) time, Mon.-Sat. Phil is a Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, and Certified Environmental Hygienist; author of five mold advice books; instructor for mold training and environmental hygiene training and certification; and a mold consultant who has helped clients for over 10 years nationwide in the USA and Canada, plus worldwide.

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Mold mushrooms growing in the corner of two walls and also in the carpeting

Serious mold
growth in a house attic.

The September 30, 2008, U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) summary of the health effects caused by exposure to mold ("INDOOR MOLD," and subtitled, "Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts") reported that the following are the top dozen most commonly-reported mold health problems reported in thirty-two (32) federal government mold studies and reports:

1. Asthma, asthma triggers, or asthma symptoms (such as episodes or attacks)
2. Upper respiratory tract symptoms
3. Eye symptoms
4. Skin symptoms
5. Allergies or allergic reactions (symptoms not otherwise specified)
6. Wheeze
7. Cough
8. Difficulty breathing, trouble breathing, or shortness of breath
9. Infections (including those affecting people who have chronic lung disease).
10. Adverse effects to the nervous system
11. Fungal colonization or opportunistic infections in immune-compromised individuals
12. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Dampness and Inadequate Ventilation are Two Causes of Microbial Pollution
From the World Health Organization in its report WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould, published July 16, 2009

The presence of many biological agents in indoor environments is attributable to dampness and inadequate ventilation. Excess moisture on almost all indoor materials leads to growth of microbes, such as mould, fungi and bacteria, which subsequently emit spores, cells, fragments and volatile organic compounds into indoor air. Moreover, dampness initiates chemical or biological degradation of  materials, which also pollute indoor air. Dampness has therefore been suggested to be strong, consistent indicator of risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough and wheeze). The health risks of biological contaminants of indoor air could thus be addressed by considering dampness as the risk indicator. Several widely acknowledged global trends contribute to the conditions associated with increased exposure to dampness and mould:

►energy conservation measures that are not properly implemented (tightened building envelopes, ventilation deficits, improper insulation);
►urbanization (migration, building type and density, urban degradation, housing availability and social inequity); ►climate change (increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions, shifting of climate zones); and
►the quality and globalization of building materials and components, construction concepts and techniques.

These conditions increase the risks of adverse health effects due to biological contaminants of indoor air.

Airborne Mold Spores (colony-forming units)

The airborne concentrations of viable fungi in indoor environments are usually in the order of a few to several thousand colony-forming units (CFUs) per cubic metre of air. In a given space, concentrations of fungi are highly variable and depend on such factors as: climate and season, type of fungus, construction, age and use of the building, and ventilation rate. They also depend largely on the sampling and analytical methods used, making valid comparisons between studies difficult. ------from the World Health Organization in its report WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould, published July 16, 2009

Chlorine Bleach is  not effective in killing mold on porous-surfaced building materials [wood, drywall, insulation paper, ceiling tiles, etc.] for at least three reasons:

• Bleach is too diluted and thus too weak to permanently kill mold unless the mold is simply sitting on top of a hard surface like a counter top or sink. Even a scientific study paid for by Clorox [biggest manufacturer of with a dilute chlorine bleach solution appears to be the most effective and efficient way to rechlorine bleach] concluded: "The study results confirm that denaturing the mold spores duce mold allergen on hard surfaces. [emphasis added]"
   

• What little killing power chlorine bleach does have is diminished significantly as the bleach sits in warehouses and on grocery store shelves or inside your home or business [50% loss in killing power in just the first 90 days inside a never opened jug or container] Chlorine ions constantly escapes through the plastic walls of its containers.
   

• Chlorine bleach's ion structure also prevents chlorine from penetrating into porous materials such as dry wall and wood--- It just stays on the outside surface, whereas mold has protected enzyme roots growing inside the porous construction materials. When you spray porous surface molds with bleach, ONLY the water in the water solution soaks into the wood while the bleach chemical sits atop the surface, gasses off, and thus only partially kills the surface layer of mold while the water penetration of the building materials fosters further mold growth.

Chlorine Bleach is NOT registered with the EPA as a disinfectant to kill mold. You can verify that important fact yourself when you are unable to find an EPA registration number for killing mold on the label of any brand of chlorine bleach.

"Bleach is actually a poor cleaning agent and can be inactivated by organic material..." reported the Indoor Air Unit, Environmental Health Division, MINNESOTA DEPT. OF HEALTH, in its report "Recommended Best Practices for Mold Investigation in Minnesota Schools," November, 2001.

Read bleach users' comments about the failure of bleach
to solve their property mold problems.

Disadvantages of Using Chlorine Bleach

Comparison of Commercial Products versus Home-Made Alternatives such as using Bleach

                                                              Mold picture

Mold pictures plus information on the health effects of Absidia mold, Alternaria mold, Aspergillus mold,
Aureobasidium mold, Chaetomium mold, Cladosporium mold, Exserohilum mold,
Fusarium mold, Microsporum mold, Mucor mold, Penicillium mold, Rhinocladiella mold,
Rhizopus mold, Stachybotrys toxic black mold, and Trichoderma mold----visit www.blackmoldpicture.com

Also visit: Mold Training & Mold Certification information and procedures.

Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Solutions

Phil can help you fix your own property’s mold problems at low-cost, more safely, and better-in- results than what is done by many mold inspectors and mold contractors.  How can Phil help you?

     1. Read Phil’s five plain-English, mold advice books to master mold inspection, testing, removal, remediation, and prevention for your house, condo, apartment, office,  or workplace.

     2. Buy do-it-yourself, affordable mold test kits, mold lab analysis, video inspection scope, mold cleaner, and mold killer, for the  successful toxic and household mold inspection, mold testing, mold species identification and quantification, mold cleaning, mold removal, and mold remediation to find mold, kill mold, clean mold, and remove mold from your residence or commercial building.

     3. Get FREE mold advice, mold help, and/or answers to your mold questions, by emailing mold expert Phillip Fry envirodangers@yahoo.com. You can also email pictures of your mold problems in jpeg file format as email attachments.

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