Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

The Fungus Among Us

July 12, 2003/in "Sick Buildings" /by Contributor

7/12/03

New Orleans, LA – Louisiana has a mold problem, but not all remediation contractors are part of the solution, and the state doesn’t want to admit it.

Mold ran Russell and Pamela Vicknair out of their house. In 2002, a sewer pipe under their Baker home burst. State Farm, their insurer, sent out inspectors and, according to the Vicknairs, confirmed that mold rendered their house uninhabitable.

… and the ugly

Regardless of what one thinks of the mold remediation business, mold itself is no hoax. And things have gotten worse recently, Ray says, because modern construction creates ideal mold habitat. Energy-efficient windows and doors are vapor-sealed, inexpensive vinyl wallpapers and faux-stucco surfaces do not breathe and air conditioning creates low pressure that sucks moisture into building cavities.

But if the presence of mold is fairly clear-cut, the threat posed and proper course of remediation remain hotly contested.

The health effects of toxic molds can be serious. Of the 200-odd harmful strains, so-called “black mold”-Stachybotrys atra-is the chief boogeyman. It has been linked to memory loss and pulmonary hemorrhage by civil litigators and mold remediators. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says science has yet to prove such a connection.

Ray says all molds pose a structural threat to buildings. “The purpose of mold is to decompose cellulose material,” he says. “It basically turns a building into a compost pile, even if there are no health effects.”

So when, exactly, does mold become a problem? The CDC claims there are no accepted standards for how to test for mold, and also claim that no one knows what quantity of mold is safe even though they have been studying this more many years.

The best-accepted standards for when you should pay money to deal with mold come from a 1993 report by the New York City health department, although many experts dispute the credibility of this and feel it is misleading and downplays the problem and mitigation. It recommends a fairly non-scientific approach: if you can see or smell mold, you’ve got trouble, which is not true at all.  Many times, mold cannot be seen nor does it produce an odor, except for a few species.

The media often produces opiniated updates on this manner, as well as people who stand to profit from this directly.

Contributor
Author: Contributor

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Contributor https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Contributor2003-07-12 00:00:272019-03-29 20:19:07The Fungus Among Us

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only