November 2012 - Elliot Environment

Fungus Caused Meningitis? Black Mold

A black mold entering the spines of hundreds of people who received contaminated vaccines for back pain has marked uncharted medical territory. This fungus, classified as being difficult to diagnose, has never seemingly caused meningitis, until now. It requires at least three months of a treatment that can cause hallucinations. Not only is it unknown when is it safe to stop treating, but there is also no good way to know how to monitor those who fear the fungus, which...

Good Mold – Bad Mold

Good Mold Mold gets a bad rap of late, but good mold does exist. Penicillium is the typical “blue” mold found on food. Bread that sat too long in the pantry typically develops penicillium. In fact, as the name implies, the very tasty blue cheese is derived from this particular strain of mold. In this day and age, cheese makers now add a commercially reproduced and freeze-dried culture, but originally, penicillium was procured from dark, damp caves and adding to...

Why Does Mold Grow on Walls?

The most common causes of mold growing on walls are high humidity, condensation and water leaks (which are often hidden inside the wall). Condensation forms when water vapor in the air meets cold surfaces and cools to become liquid. Condensation is especially common on walls which form the perimeter of a house. These walls are often colder because of cool outdoor air on the other side. Things like drying wet clothes inside or steam from hot water increases the humidity...

Vt. Woman Loses Health, Home to Post-Irene Mold

It was bad enough when Tropical Storm Irene sent the Dog River spilling over its banks, filling Chandar Hall’s basement, destroying the stairs and back door, toppling her oil tank and destroying thousands of dollars’ worth of stored books and clothing. But since the storm more than 10 months ago, Hall, 39, says she has suffered such severe health problems from mold left behind by the flood that she had to stop working and move out. As of Monday, when...

Don’t Delay Tackling Mold Problems

Mold is a fact of life. It is all around us daily in the form of spores. But when conditions are right, when a home gets too humid for too long, mold can start to grow. When it does, removal is the only answer. “There are mold spores everywhere,” says Jim Echols, senior analyst at Springfield Indoor Air Quality, who has helped homeowners identify mold problems for 15 years. “… Most of the time, those mold spores don’t grow inside...

Bleach Myth Buster

Chlorine Bleach (sodium hypochlorite 6%) does not kill mold. Why? Mold's hyphae (root structures) actually grow into wood and drywall like roots. The hyphae are not killed by bleach because bleach's ion structure prevents chlorine from penetrating into porous materials such as dry wall and wood. It 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, the water part of the solution soaks into...

Month: November 2012