Mold belongs to the fungi kingdom and is part of the natural environment. Outdoor molds play a significant part in the environment by breaking down the deceased matter such as dead trees and fallen leaves. Molds that grow at home indoors should be best avoided.
Mold has some resemblance with plants as well as bacteria, but is neither a plant nor a bacterium. Mold has an individual kingdom and belongs to the fungi kingdom. The term mold is used to describe fuzzy fungi grown on various moist surfaces.
Molds look like tiny smug marks; up close you may notice a fuzzy or hairy appearance. They produce millions of tiny seed like structures called spores that are invisible to the naked eye. These spores float through air indoors as well as outdoors. Mold begins growing indoors when the mold spores touch a moist surface. There are various types of mold that require different water levels, but none survive or multiply without the presence of moisture or water.
The human eye can at best see objects that are 10 or more microns. Mostly the indoor spores are merely 2 to 10 microns, while some spores are long, a few hundred microns.
Mold toxins also known as mycotoxins are discovered primarily on various toxic mold types such as toxic black mold also known as stachybotrys along with nearly ½ dozen other types of toxic molds. Mycotoxins and allergens are found on dead spores or living spores as well.
Mycotoxins are produced by several species of toxic mold. These are defences against being eating by insects, and are also powerful weapons employed by toxic molds in a microbial combat to assist them when competing against several other molds and bacteria. The toxic black mold is commonly found by our inspection firm in South Florida, and is likely world wide, as it was first reported as a problem with solders and their hungry horses in the Ukraine near Russia almost 100 years ago. However, even if the mold spores observed in residential areas are a result of toxic black mold production at high levels, they may not always bring toxic illness effects on humans through normal indoor inhalation. A human gets poisoned only when we inhale lots of spores.
History reveals the toxic effects of toxic mold mycotoxins in farm animals and humans including birth defects, coma, internal bleeding, cancer, and death, mostly via eating foods contaminated with toxic mold. Remember the hungry Ukrainian horsed mentioned above, let's just say they did not have a happy ending, and the solders that slept on mouldy hay did not fare much better.
The main reasons for mold growth at home are damp or moist surroundings. Molds are concealed behind the wall paper, on or behind dry wall, on top of ceiling tiles, beneath the pads or carpets, inside AC units, and behind the furniture. Cleaning concealed mold with chemicals is not the suggested remedy in most cases. Chemicals such as chlorine bleach are not recommended to clean mold. Mixing chlorine bleach solution with any other detergent or cleaning solution is best avoided as other items may contain ammonia leading to toxic fumes. If you kill the mold on the surface of your wall with bleach you are left with a false felling of security while the majority of the mold will still continue to grow hidden inside your walls.
It will turn from a small problem to a large more expensive growing hidden mold problem if not handled correctly the first time.
You must call a certified mold inspector to get to the root reasons for mold growth via investigations and testing or it will likely keep coming back.
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