A Detailed Guide to Mold Related Illness and Other Indoor Air Quality Sicknesses InspectAPedia® -
Detailed articles aid in identifying illnesses that may be related to toxic or allergenic mold exposure
An atlas of mold related illness symptoms and complaints
A clinical atlas of mold toxicity
Finding and curing odors and gases in buildings
How to identify pollen and other allergens in buildings
Catalog of products to reduce mold and allergy problems
Bacterial hazards in buildings, sewer backups
Dog, cat, and other animal allergens, sources, testing, cleanup, prevention
Questions & Answers About Mold Exposure & Suspected Mold Related Illness
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Here we provide key articles on mold-related illness, including lists of mold related symptoms and complaints,
a clinical atlas of mold toxicity, fiberglass hazards, odors and gases, pollen and other allergens, how to recognize allergens
in buildings, and suggestions about possible bacterial hazards such as due to sewage backups.
For background on how and why molds can be toxic, see this World Health Organization Mold Bulletin. Our page top photo shows severe mold contamination on the ceiling of a building basement exposed to flooding.
This website provides information and procedures for finding, testing, cleaning and preventing indoor mold, toxic black mold, green mold,
testing building indoor air quality, and other sick house / sick building investigations. We also offer detailed advice on mold prevention and mold-resistant construction resistant
to indoor problem molds such as the Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Stachybotrys chartarum groups.
MOLD EXPOSURE, FOOD HAZARDS - what are the mold and bacterial hazards from eating moldy food or food products?
MOLD EXPOSURE RISK LEVELS - how do we characterize the level of risk of mold exposure in a building?
MOLD EXPOSURE STANDARDS - what are the standards for allowable exposure to allergenic or toxic mold - what are the problems with trying to make any general quantitative mold exposure standard?
Recognizing Allergens: What various indoor allergens look like - identification photos to help identify pollen, dust mites, animal dander, toxic or allergenic mold - Common Mold and other Allergens, Irritants, Remedies & Advice
Rodent control issues, including dander, fecal, and urine contamination of Buildings and Building insulation are discussed at our Mold Action Plan page.
Keywords for topics addressed in these articles include: Sick House Investigations, Indoor Air Quality, Mold, Mildew, Dampness, Leaky Basements, Indoor
Air Quality, Stachybotrys, Fleas, Dust Mites, Pets, Animal Hair, Dander, Allergens, Bioaerosols, Asthma, ASHI Home
Inspections, ASHI Home Inspection, ASHI Home Inspector, ASHI Home Inspectors ASHI Soot Stains Fungus Fungi American
Society of Home Inspectors mold testing services by an expert mold testing lab, mold sample testing, including
bulk samples, air samples, vacuum samples for mold spores, spore identification, and mold health concerns, mold report of
mold test results by the mold lab include written advice, photographs, mold species identification to help spot dangerous
mold species and to guide mold remediation advice. Sick House Investigations, allergy, allergies, allergens,
asthma, asthmatics, dust mites, mold, mildew, fungi, indoor air quality, heating system ventilation, soot, stains,
combustion air, chimney defects, moisture, water entry, wet basements, surface and roof drainage, flooding, water damage,
air quality measurements
Questions & Answers About Mold Exposure & Suspected Mold Related Illness
Question: Chronic Cough and Post Nasal Drip - PND - What's a Reliable Mold Test Kit?
I have been bothered by chronic cough and post nasal drip for several years, and I am suspicious that the building in which I work is the cause. I know that I am allergic mainly to molds – eight different kinds. So, I tried a test kit that I ordered online. It was not conclusive. Not sure if it was any good either. Can you recommend reliable test kits? - K.H., Wilmington DE
Reply: Mold test kits have a useful role to play, but you may need a competent building inspection first
A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem, such as a source of irritating dust that you didn't recognize, a leak or moisture problem, or a hidden mold reservoir. That said, here are some things to consider:
While there is a use for testing as part of an expert building inspection, using any test kit to screen a building for mold is not reliable. See MOLD TESTING METHOD VALIDITY if you want a detailed exposition.
In particular, a "negative" result (a test that does not detect significant indoor mold contamination) used without an expert inspection is unreliable in that there is a significant risk of missing an existing mold problem.
Even a "positive" mold test kit result (the test says problem mold is present at a significant level) does not necessarily identify the actual mold problem in the building as opposed to the mold the kit happened to catch. For example, most molds won't grow in culture, so using a culture to screen for mold is a unreliable.
I recommend starting with a detailed case history of the home and your complaints, combined with a thorough visual inspection for conditions likely to cause an indoor mold problem - if mold's the focus. Don't forget there can be other irritants. I'd also ask the doctor for advice on the sorts of things that s/he thinks would be a particular problem in your environment.
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
"Spectrum of Noninfectious Health Effects from Mold", Lynnette J. Mazur, MD, MPH, Janice Kim, MD, PhD, MPH, the Committee on Environmental Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, technical report appearing in PEDIATRICS Volume 118, Number 6, December 2006, see aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;118/6/e1909.pdf OR
aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;118/6/e1909
for this excellent article, or contact the American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL, 847-434-4000
Mold Exposure Standards - levels of allergenic & toxic mold: how much mold means a problem? - http://www.inspectapedia.com/sickhouse/Mold_Standards.htm
Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors, [on file as /mold/Mold_Guide_UConn.pdf] - Eileen Storey, MD MPH, Kenneth H. Dangman, MD PhD MPH, Paula Schenck MPH, Robert L DeBernardo MD MPH, Chin S Yang PhD, Anne Bracker CIH MPH, Michael J Hodgson MD MPH, University of Connecticut Health Center, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Center for Indoor Environments and Health, 266 Farmington Ave., Farmington CT 06030-6210, 30 September 2004. [We have edited this file to remove blank pages in order to speed its load-time and to add a link back to this website.] This document was designed to help the healthcare provider address patients with illnesses related to mold in the indoor environment by providing background understanding of how mold may be affecting patients. The guidance was published in 2004, with support from a grant by the U.S. EPA, by the Center for Indoor Environments and Health, or CIEH at the University of Connecticut Health Center. " -- original source: oehc.uchc.edu/images/PDFs/MOLD%20GUIDE.pdf (1.13MB PDF file, slow loading)
History of major mold outbreaks: see the WHO bulletin above, also see a nice summary of the history of major mold related illness outbreaks is at moldbacteria.com/newsletters/2005/sep2005.html provided by Dr. Jackson Kung'U, a microbiologist, mycologist, writing for that website.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Kansas State University, department of plant pathology, extension plant pathology web page on wheat rust fungus: see http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Leaf%20Rust.asp
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home",
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
Associations: Sick House, Sick Building, SBS - Air Quality, Government, Private Associations and Information Resources
Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., GS deHoog, J Guarro, J Gene, & MJ Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, 2000, ISBN 90-70351-43-9 (you can buy this book at Amazon)
Atlas of Indoor Mold, Online Clinical Mold Atlas, Toxins, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
Black Mold that is Harmless Photos of recognizable, usually harmless black mold on wood, bluestain, ceratocystis, ophistoma
Building Floods: quick steps after a building flood or plumbing leak can prevent costly mold contamination
Classes of Mold: what types of cosmetic, allergenic, or toxic mold are a problem? Can mold be cleaned-up successfully?
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
"Disease Prevention Program for Certain Vegetable Crops," David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist - Vegetables, University of Georgia (PDF document) original source: www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/209797.html
"Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens,"
Patricia Donald,
Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology,
Lewis Jett
Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension - extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6202
Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, is available from the InspectAPedia online bookstore - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
OTHER IAQ ISSUES: How To Find and Address Other Indoor Air or Indoor Environment Contaminants Besides Mold
Mold or allergens may not be the only or even the main indoor environmental contaminant. Don't let media attention to mold
cause so much enviro-scare fear that other, possibly more urgent hazards go un-addressed.
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold"
remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Pet control - if you can't say goodbye to your bird, cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, tropical fish, then limit the
areas they occupy and limit the airflow from that area to sleeping or other areas of the building, use allergenic
bedding, eliminate wall-to-wall carpeting, improve housecleaning including use of a HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner. For more details
see our article Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Information for Asthmatics and Indoor Air Quality
Rodents, Mice, Squirrel Control - I find high levels of mouse and rodent dander, fecal dust, and urine-contaminated dust in some buildings,
and high levels of these materials in building insulation in those locations. If you have a mouse problem, particularly if mice and their waste (fecals or urine) are contaminating
the building HVAC or building insulation, may need both steps to clean up or remove infected materials and steps to stop an ongoing
rodent problem. If squirrels are a problem, the cleanup needs to include closing off entry openings into the building. Get some
help from a licensed pest control expert.
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