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What Does Mold Eat

Molds eat organic building and construction material and any cellulose based product. Carpeting, drywall, upholstery, food, and dead organic material are all food sources for mold. Cellulose is the main substance in the cell walls of plants and wood, and it’s used in the creation of many organic building materials such as drywall, paneling, plasterboard, plywood substitutes, and ceiling tiles. When molds are feeding off of these types of material they are growing at a rapid rate and you may not even be aware that they are present, yet.

Safe Levels Of Mold

There are no certain levels of safe or unsafe mold infestation inside a residential home or any other type of building. This is greatly due to the huge variances between each individual person’s response to mold sensitivity. What could be a harmless amount of mold exposure to one occupant could be devastating health-wise to another individual. Usually, mold infestation is considered to be elevated if indoor mold samples show higher mold counts and more mold species indoors than in an outdoor mold control test. Mold infestation usually affects first and foremost: pregnant women (and their unborn babies), the elderly, infants and persons with immune-deficiency system diseases, respiratory problems or allergies. But day in and day out, cumulative exposure to mold infestation can make even healthy adults quite sick.

Types Of Mold

There are many molds that have the potential to cause health problems which include: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys. These types of molds, while only a few of over 100,000 different types of molds, are not all black molds. Also, the color of the mold does not specify the toxicity of the mold nor does it specify the type of mold.

Causes Of Mold

With the sufficient amount of moisture mold can grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Long term leaks, especially leaky pipes inside wall cavities, often cause mold problems as the water issues have not been corrected in a timely manner. Flooding, such as during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans where the water damage could not be restored within 24 hours, caused irreparable damage to the sheetrock and building materials. In these instances, the damaged materials must be removed before the water damaged materials can cause mold growth.

Build up of humidity can also cause mold problems. The humidity level in a household should be kept below 50% to reduce possible mold problems. Condensation noticed on windows is a good way to notice that the relative humidity levels are too high inside the dwelling.

Attic Mold

Attic mold has become an increasingly more common problem. Homes built within the past 30 years have been constructed more energy efficient and “air tight”, thus having ventilation problems. Instead of the old “plank board” construction for roof decking, houses are built with OSB plywood. Soffits are usually blocked with insulation and not ventilated. Roofing peaks are often not ventilated with Cobra Vent or Omnivent. Humidifiers, such as Aprilaire units, are often connected with furnaces and adjusted too high, causing elevated humidity problems which rise to the attic. Roof leaks go frequently unnoticed due to poor maintenance. These problems, often a number of them happening at once, can cause multiple problems leading to attic mold.

Basement Mold

One of the leading areas that generate mold in a home and one that comes to mind when thinking of where mold would grow is the basement. The basement or any below ground level space have multiple ways to cause mold growth. Moisture issues in the basement are the leading cause for mold growth at that level in a home or other type of building. Basement walls in homes were originally waterproofed with a tar based method. This method, just like the blacktop for your driveway, begins to crack and disintegrate after 18 months. Over time, the moisture from the outside water table seeps through the porous concrete block causing mold growth on the paint surfaces and finished areas of the basement.

            The basement waterproofing methods don’t work for a number of reasons:

1.     The tar based method is actually considered a water-dampening method as this method only slows down the water to the basement and does not actually fully seal the water such as a thick poly membrane.

2.     The sill plate that rests upon the top core of foundation block usually was not placed the entire width of the block, meaning it is not a full 6” width but rather a standard 2”x4” width. This causes undue pressure on the outside area of the cinder block wall which eventually leads to bowing.

3.     The drain pipe that may have been placed on the outside wall for drainage is usually made of clay tile, which cracks over time and gets clogged with debris.

Basement mold can be stopped with practical methods and modern age water proofing methods.

Health Effects of Mold

Mold can cause various degrees of adverse health effects. The health effects that occur depend on the type of mold encountered, the toxicity of the mold, the quantity of the mold, the amount of time the occupant encountered the mold, and the health status of the individual. The health effects that are most commonly associated with mold are:

1.     allergic reactions

2.     irritation associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs),

3.     invasive disease,

4.     mycotoxicosis.

5.     noses,

6.     itchy-watery eyes,

7.     coughing,

8.     sneezing, and throat irritation

9.     sinusitis and asthma

10.  headaches,

11.  decreased attention span,

12.  difficulty in concentration, and dizziness.

Isaiah Brewer is operations manager for A & I Health Solutions. His website has information on Ohio Mold Removal.