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

Toxic Mold Is Topic Of Baton Rouge Seminar

August 3, 2002/in "Sick Buildings" /by Carolyn Willbanks

BATON ROUGE – “You’re not supposed to grow mold in your house.” That’s the simple answer to deciding which molds are unhealthful, Wynn White, an environmental engineer, said. White was one of the presenters at a daylong seminar on toxic molds at the Pennington Center in Baton Rouge Friday.

Toxic mold has made its way in the news lately because of several high-profile cases where homeowners were forced out of their homes because of the mold. Many insurance companies have stopped writing policies protecting homeowners from mold partly because an array of lawsuits have been filed in recent years by people who claim they were made sick by the mold or who wanted builders to pay to have it removed. White said he has been contacted by lawyers about investigating structural mold problems for litigation purposes for about 10 years. Until “a year or so ago,” he resisted acting as an expert witness in such cases. Even now he insists that his testimony is for purposes of determining the extent of molds in a building rather than offering evidence for or against either side in a lawsuit. “People have health problems. It’s not always going to be mold,” he said. That doesn’t mean it’s not a problem, though. Thus, the workshop Friday. “We’re doing a workshop to teach these folks how to deal with mold,” he said, adding the seminar’s participants included building owners and managers.

Mold has emerged as a health concern in recent years because of changes in construction techniques that cause moisture to be increased inside buildings. With the advent of air conditioning, building techniques changed, he said. But air conditioning is not the problem in itself, he said. The problem always comes back to the basic elements need for mold to grow, temperature, food and water. “In the summer time keep your thermostat at 73 (degrees Fahrenheit) or higher and your humidity at 50 percent or lower,” minimizing the ideal conditions for mold to grow, he said. He said, “The bad thing is – how do we control humidity? – with the air conditioner. And you don’t use your air conditioner in the winter time.” Describing himself as something of smart aleck when asked to answer the obvious, he said, “You tell me which molds are bad for you. I can’t tell. You’re not supposed to grow mold in your house.” He acknowledged that molds are not always obvious because everyone does not have the same degree of senses of smell and sight. But he said, “If you can see it or smell it, you’ve got it. Clean it up.” If mold can be observed with the senses, “common sense” should tell someone there is no need to test for it, he said. “Having said that, if your attorney says test it, do it. If your doctor says test it, do it,” he said.

The extent of actions the average person can take to prevent or clean up mold “depends on what started the problem,” he said. However, he said there are some steps that can be taken to correct problems. “There are three things mold needs, temperature, food and water. The only thing we can control is water. We need to better manage water,” he said.

If you see mold growing on a wall, first determine what caused it and correct the problem, he said. Calling sheetrock “a sandwich for mold,” he said the popular interior wall material should be replaced to remove the mold, as should the underlying insulation if it has been dampened. He said, however, the key is to determine what caused the mold, such as leaky water pipe or dripping air conditioner duct, and eliminate the moisture. “People will clean their ductwork up. If you don’t make a fundamental change, the mold is coming back,” he said, adding replacement of water damaged materials in a house can be expensive.

Carolyn Willbanks
Author: Carolyn Willbanks

Tags: mold, toxic mold in homes, sheetrock is sandwich for mold, mold making people sick, mold is a health concern
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 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2002-08-03 21:02:272019-02-18 01:27:17Toxic Mold Is Topic Of Baton Rouge Seminar
You might also like
Mold-Help logo Respiratory Morbidity in Office Workers
Petri dish showing Candida auris strain of moldwww.moldfreeliving.com Candida Auris in the News - Part 2
Man with mask cleaning up a moldy basement©Today's Homeowner Recent Rains Cause Spike in Mold Growth
Mold-Help logo John Frieda Recalls Styling Spray
Mold-Help logo Active Fungus May Affect Global Warming - Study
Mold-Help logo Texas Widens Probe of Insurers

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