Mould – How Important Is Your Health?
- By Graham Dick
- Published 02/4/2012
- Latest
- Unrated
Graham Dick
Graham Dick is president of www.genesisrestorations.com, specializing fire and smoke damage restoration, water & flood damage, mould remediation
View all articles by Graham Dick
Ask any contractor how often he sees mould damage during the course of a renovation project and the response is “almost all the time.” When asked how they handle this issue, the response usually includes bleach and tear out. The response to the next question is most telling. What steps did you take to protect yourself and the occupants? The standard answer is a blank stare. Mould doesn’t hurt anyone does it?
That’s the same mindset many had about smoking not that long ago. We now laugh at the ‘You Tube’ clips of Camel ads proclaiming that “more doctors smoke Camels.” It has been studied and clearly documented that there is a causal link between exposure to mould and one’s health. The challenge is in defining exposure limit values. It is difficult to correlate the dose received to the symptoms experienced because it is different for everyone.
What is clear to all is that when the mould is removed, the symptoms often clear up and long-term effects are rare.
Let’s review the basics about mould indoors. The only reason it grows is because water is where it should not be. There are many reasons for that: roof leak, building envelope failure, hydrostatic pressure due to poor or failed drainage, plumbing failure, drain backups, condensation in attics due to poor ventilation, and high humidity are the main causes. Mould spores and hyphal fragments are floating in the air everywhere, both inside and outside. As long as the species and the amount are the same or less than outdoors, you have a ‘normal fungal ecology’. If not, you need to do something about it.
Do I have the ‘dangerous’ kind of mould? While it is true that some species are more toxic than others, it’s the dose that makes the poison. One square inch of mould can have 1-10 million spores depending on the species. Usually, we measure indoor
Mould growth in square feet not square inches.
What should I look for in my home to know if I have a mould problem? Is there visible mould growth anywhere? If not, here’s a simple litmus test that’s free. Shut the windows, turn up the heat and shut all interior doors – heat releases odours. Go out for a walk around the block (no smoking) to clear your head with fresh air. When you come back, enter each room and draw the air into your lungs. Does it smell musty or earthy? If yes, make a note. Does that room with an odour have a wall with penetrations to the exterior? Does it have plumbing above it or in the wall?
What should I look for in my family’s health to know if I have a mould problem? Has anyone developed allergies or asthma since moving into the current location or since a water damage event? Are cold or flu symptoms just not going away? Do you get ‘plugged up’ at home and ‘clear up’ when you go to work or go out for the day? If you or anyone living there answered yes to any of these questions, consult your physician and call an expert to conduct a thorough investigation of your home.
Can I deal with it myself? Can my renovation contractor deal with it or do I need a specialist? Ideally, you should call a specialist in mould remediation. They have special training and special insurance coverage for performing this service. Once decontaminated, the rest of the job is a renovation which any qualified renovator can perform. Read the Canadian Construction Association’s Mould Guidelines. You can find it at http://www.cca-acc.com/documents/cca82/cca82.pdf.
Knowledge is power. Beware of those who minimize the risk and would smash and bash everything into a pile on the floor, vacuum with a shop vac and successfully spread mould throughout your house. Also beware of those that would claim to just kill it using a solution or air treatment. Neither method is accepted by any government guideline.
Please be careful. Your health is worth it.
That’s the same mindset many had about smoking not that long ago. We now laugh at the ‘You Tube’ clips of Camel ads proclaiming that “more doctors smoke Camels.” It has been studied and clearly documented that there is a causal link between exposure to mould and one’s health. The challenge is in defining exposure limit values. It is difficult to correlate the dose received to the symptoms experienced because it is different for everyone.
What is clear to all is that when the mould is removed, the symptoms often clear up and long-term effects are rare.
Let’s review the basics about mould indoors. The only reason it grows is because water is where it should not be. There are many reasons for that: roof leak, building envelope failure, hydrostatic pressure due to poor or failed drainage, plumbing failure, drain backups, condensation in attics due to poor ventilation, and high humidity are the main causes. Mould spores and hyphal fragments are floating in the air everywhere, both inside and outside. As long as the species and the amount are the same or less than outdoors, you have a ‘normal fungal ecology’. If not, you need to do something about it.
Do I have the ‘dangerous’ kind of mould? While it is true that some species are more toxic than others, it’s the dose that makes the poison. One square inch of mould can have 1-10 million spores depending on the species. Usually, we measure indoor
What should I look for in my home to know if I have a mould problem? Is there visible mould growth anywhere? If not, here’s a simple litmus test that’s free. Shut the windows, turn up the heat and shut all interior doors – heat releases odours. Go out for a walk around the block (no smoking) to clear your head with fresh air. When you come back, enter each room and draw the air into your lungs. Does it smell musty or earthy? If yes, make a note. Does that room with an odour have a wall with penetrations to the exterior? Does it have plumbing above it or in the wall?
What should I look for in my family’s health to know if I have a mould problem? Has anyone developed allergies or asthma since moving into the current location or since a water damage event? Are cold or flu symptoms just not going away? Do you get ‘plugged up’ at home and ‘clear up’ when you go to work or go out for the day? If you or anyone living there answered yes to any of these questions, consult your physician and call an expert to conduct a thorough investigation of your home.
Can I deal with it myself? Can my renovation contractor deal with it or do I need a specialist? Ideally, you should call a specialist in mould remediation. They have special training and special insurance coverage for performing this service. Once decontaminated, the rest of the job is a renovation which any qualified renovator can perform. Read the Canadian Construction Association’s Mould Guidelines. You can find it at http://www.cca-acc.com/documents/cca82/cca82.pdf.
Knowledge is power. Beware of those who minimize the risk and would smash and bash everything into a pile on the floor, vacuum with a shop vac and successfully spread mould throughout your house. Also beware of those that would claim to just kill it using a solution or air treatment. Neither method is accepted by any government guideline.
Please be careful. Your health is worth it.
