If you have or had a water leak that went uncorrected for over 48 hours, chances are good that you have some type of mold. That in itself may not be that big of a deal but lets review the facts:

What are molds?

Mold a plant is a fungi that obtains nutrients from organic matter. They consist of long, highly branched thread-like linear groups of cells (hyphae) that intertwine to form the fungus body (mycelium). These threads can penetrate many materials but especially like common building materials such as drywall, wallboard, wallpaper and installation, all which contain organic materials that are good sources of nutrients. Molds generally require a water source, nutrients and an appropriate temperature for growth. Ok so what does that mean, well a water source of course can mean a water leak but how much? Not much, humidity levels of greater than 50% is considered to be a water source. A temperature of 40 to 100 degrees F is prime for mold growth. That basically means that anyone living in the Southern States are ripe for mold. If we are so ripe for mold growth and we know mold has been around from biblical days (See Leviticus 14:45) why is this such a problem now? Well, have you looked around outside lately. If you look closely you probably can't walk 100 yards without see some mold growth. So why isn't this a bigger problem? Here are a few reasons:

1. There are thousands of molds and in most individuals the body's immune system easily discards them. Only a few have been determined to be toxic (see most common ones below)
2. We most often encounter molds outside which of course is very well ventilated and therefore the amount of mold spores (the seeds of mold) you encounter is low.
3. Older homes are generally not built as tight (i.e. less energy efficient, more cross ventilation) thereby drying up water leaks more quickly) Also see home builders Section

A little more on molds and then I will move on. We have established that molds need, water, organic matter (food) and that correct temperature to grow but how does it spread. Molds are plants and plants are designed like all living things to reproduce. Plants of course spread through the distribution of seeds. The seeds of mold are something called spores. Spores are so small it is not possible for the human eye to detect. For example, pull a hair off your head. Look at just the very tip of it and you are looking at something approximately 10 microns in size. Spores are roughly half of this size. They pretty much travel the same way dust travels and if you are like most of us we have dust in our homes (everywhere). That's not all, many toxic mold spores have a protective substance on it called mycotoxins. The job of mycotoxins is to protect the spore from other vegetation. And guess what, mycotoxins are also harmful in humans (big surprise huh). See health concerns for more information.

It has been my experience that the most common forms of the dreaded toxic mold variety have been:

1. Stachybotrys
2. Aspergillus
3. Penicillum

There are more but these are the ones I keep hearing people deal with. Stachybotrys of course is the one with the most media hype about it lately (Black Mold). People who have been exposed to high level often see significant health problem. (Headaches, bloody noses, respiratory illnesses etc). Just as bad however are some species of Aspergillus and Penicillum. These too can cause immediate respiratory problems but perhaps even more serious is some species have been considered a carcinogen. In fact the mycotoxins of Aspergillus Flavus is considered to be one of the most potent carinogen known.

How do you find out if your mold is toxic?

The only way I know it to have it tested. The most definitive way is to have an Certified Industrial Hygienist take mold samples and it a matter of weeks they can identify what type of mold you have and what is the best way to rid your home of it. (See Environmental testing and selling you is home also). If you or you family have noticed health problems that even remotely could be a result of mold, this is the way to go. The down side is this testing is expensive, usually thousands of dollars for a detailed test. Another method albeit not as complete is to buy a self-testing kit. Mold testing companies, can set you up with a testing kit which basically allows you to take some tape samples which they will look on a high powered microscope to determine what type of mold you have. I look at this as a sanity check. If they test results show that you could have toxic mold then be prepared to move out of you home immediately if you haven't already (i.e. if you have health concerns, move out during the testing period). Then at least you know what you are dealing with.