“Toxic” Mold – fear and loathing in your basement….

If you turn and run the other way when you see a patch of mold in your home or workplace, you’re not alone.  Mold has become one of those substances that gets people’s minds racing, and for good reason.  There’s no shortage of fear mongers out there preaching of impacted health issues associated with breathing in mold spores, and many of them have to do with your lung function, everything from an increased risk of infection, to flu like symptoms, migraines and other health issues.

So what’s the real deal? Mold reaction is an imperfect science; yes studies have shown that people who are susceptible to mold may develop adverse reactions – some and/or all of which are listed above but like any other allergic reaction it truly is an individual response – some people may have no reaction while others come down with serious health implications.

There are also studies that have shown prolonged exposure to mold may actually increase your susceptibility to developing reactions!

So, what to do??  When you suspect toxic mold has made an appearance, simple – first – don’t panic!  We know that mold is caused by excess moisture coming into contact with almost anything (drywall, wood, cellulose products or even something as simple as dust and debris)  so you want to take a look around to find the source of moisture. Once that source is determined you MUST stop the moisture intrusion otherwise you are just treating the symptom as opposed to the problem!

Call Experts

Next, clean up the mold! Small amounts of mold can be cleaned up yourself following the EACO or CCA protocols but toxic mold is called toxic for a reason, and your first course of action for any substantial mold growth should really be to call in experts to assess the situation for you.  It may turn out that you don’t have a toxic mold problem at all, or you might have a much bigger problem than you ever suspected.  But you’ll never know for sure unless you call in someone who knows what they’re looking at.

If it is indeed mold, remediation is the name of the game and it should be performed as soon as possible by a reputable contractor – not a fear monger.  When you use experienced mold experts like FERRO, you can rest easy that we are taking your family’s/employee’s health and safety as seriously as you are, we only employ people who are qualified and fully trained to handle hazardous substances, which is why we enjoy the reputation we do and why you can feel comfortable that once we do our work, we stand behind it.

What Not to Do

  • DONT – hire the first person with a business card and a story of how dangerous it is for you to occupy your home while there is ANY mold present.
  • DON’T start poking at the mold or moving it around.  You can send the mold spores into the air and they can cause problems in other parts of the house.
  • DON’T fall for unscrupulous people who are claiming to provide a non-arms length “turnkey” solution (remove the mold and then provide an air test. Would you let your child grade their own homework?) Insist on an independent air test being performed by a third party consultant!
  • DON’T fall for the lowest price – check for training, experience, references and insurance. Use FERRO’s white paper “checklist”