Toxic mold has become a controversial issue recently, with many families finding that they have unexplained illnesses that refuse to go away. To make this worse, many property insurance companies have amended their policies to exclude any mold-related claims, so it’s up to the homeowner to both find and fix mold issues on their own dime.

Mold is one of the organisms that makes biotoxins which can create a whole host of neurotoxic illnesses commonly accepted as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity and other ‘mystery’ illnesses. Other oganisms that may create biotoxins include some algae, Lyme disease spirochetes, recluse spiders and some seafood contaminants. Not all toxic molds are ‘black molds’, it’s just that the black molds have received more media hype than other types of molds.

Not all molds are potentially hazardous either – typically molds that grow on food or naturally outdoors are harmless unless you have specific allergies. The molds growing inside homes and buildings are of concern though, since as they break down the structure of your home they also create a host environment for a lot of other nasties to grow in.

A gourmet lunch for a mold organism is the cellulose found in the paper and wood products to build most homes. Happily feasting mold spores will reproduce and send their offspring out into your home, creating even more of a toxic environment. Mold colony counts of 250,000 per square inch aren’t unusual, and each of these can make 1,000 spores and each spore can create 1,000 molecules of toxin. Whew! That’s a lot of toxicity in an little tiny mold colony!

What do you do if you suspect there may be mold in your home? You could start with one of the handy (and inexpensive) test kits above, and then you can either hire a professional to test your home if it appears that you have mold issues, or you can use clear Scotch tape to take samples and mail them off for testing on your own. This will at least let you know whether mold in your home could be a contributing factor in your family’s health. However, remember mold exposure can occur at work and at school as well!

Remediation is not easy, since if it finds moisture in your home, mold has everything it needs to happily reproduce without predators to keep it in check. Apparently even if you kill the ‘parent’ fungi, the ‘children’ (or spores) can live on for years! And mold spores can hide literally anywhere, from the papers in your filing cabinets to your favorite TV chair.

Experts say that splashing some bleach on the mold or painting over contaminated drywall or plywood will do virtually nothing to eliminate the mold problem in your home. Expert remediation is generally needed, which of course doesn’t come cheap.

Clearly the best way to ‘treat’ mold is to avoid it in the first place. Fix water leaks right away, and air out your home on a regular basis so it doesn’t get too stale and damp inside. The book Mold Warriors is also worth reading if you think that you have mold problems.

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