Some Common Myths About Mold
Myth: You can identify mold by looking at it.
Truth: The only way mold can be identified is by having a sample of it analyzed under a microscope in a lab. In an NBC Today Show exposé, undercover reporters in New Jersey rubbed mascara on a hallway wall and called in a dozen mold companies to look at it. All of them said it was definitely mold and quoted prices to remove it. “What else could it be?” Qualified mold assessors know that discoloration can be caused by carbon, concentrated dust, dirt, yeast, fibrous particulate, hyphal elements and other unidentifiable matter, which is why testing and analysis must first be performed.
Myth: All mold is dangerous.
Truth: Mold is dangerous only if it is present in a substantial enough quantity. When samples are analyzed, the report not only tells you what kinds of spores were present, but how many of each were present. A low enough level presents no more danger than what you encounter outside your house in mother nature. If the levels are elevated inside, then you run a serious health risk. Various types of mold affects different people depending on their individual physiology and the severity of the type of mold.
Myth: Mold is not dangerous because it is all around the environment.
Truth: The mold levels outside are always changing and some people are affected by the outside mold in the same way some are affected by pollen or pollution. If mold levels are significantly higher inside one’s house, mold can cause severe respiratory damage, headaches, flu-like symptoms, and in severe cases, memory loss and cancer.
Myth: Mold should be cleaned with bleach.
Truth: Bleach should NOT be used. Bleach only kills surface mold and evaporates leaving behind a residue of nitrogen, which is an element of fertilizer. In effect, you are feeding the mold spores that are under the surface or in the air and it can grow back even worse. Bleach is effective only on non-porous materials, but most materials are porous, including sheetrock, wood, concrete and ceramic.
Myth: I can just test my air for mold with a Home Depot kit.
Truth: These are nothing but petri dishes. Growing a culture on your own tells you nothing about whether you have a mold problem because you are not comparing it to a control sample outside or gauging its growth time via any regulated methodology. Mold will always grow in any open petri dish, even in the cleanest of houses, so this tells you absolutely nothing. The best way to determine if you have a mold problem is to hire a mold assessor from a professional company that only does testing and have them take air samples with spore traps and swabs or tape lifts. Knowing how to collect data utilizing the scientific method and how to interpret it is just as important as what equipment one uses to collect it. That’s why professionals are trained in the art and science of their craft.
Myth: Infra red cameras can find mold behind walls.
Truth: The only thing that infra red cameras reveal is temperature differential. They were initially developed for locating energy loss in buildings and are excellent for showing you where you need to add more insulation. Since water is typically cooler than the air around it, it can also locate plumbing leaks or moisture infiltration in a wall. While it is true that mold is attracted to water, it doesn’t mean that what you’re seeing with the camera is water, or whether there is any mold present. You are only seeing which areas are hot (red) or cold (blue).
Myth: Mold can make you sick if it is inside your walls.
Truth: Mold can only make you sick if you breathe it. If it is concealed inside your walls but not in the air of your house, it cannot affect you. That is why having air testing performed by a professional testing company that does not also do remediation is the only way to find out if the air is safe.
Myth: It is better to have one company do mold testing and mold clean up.
Truth: You should NEVER have the same company do both, in fact, in New York, it is illegal to do so. If a company does clean up, also known as remediation or abatement, they have a reason to find a problem so they can make much more money doing the clean up like all the companies who said the mascara was mold. An independent testing company with no conflict of interest should first test, and if a problem is found, they should write up an action plan, also known as a protocol, which specs out the scope of work for a remediator to follow so it is done properly – not too little and not too much. The testing company should then re-test the remediator’s work to make sure the work was successfully and safely completed.
