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Mold 101

For the individual:

To connect people with the right resources so they can feel empowered when talking with professionals and making choices for their family. (Basically, learn to
be their own advocate)

To help people develop an action plan by helping them think through the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY that is involved in each step so they can honestly
and realistically evaluate their options and next steps.

To be a place where people can cross check the information provided by their landlord, IEP, remediation company.

For the professional:

To connect health care and other professionals with reliable information to better serve their clients.

Features: Use lots of videos, graphics, analogies, diagrams, links, bullet points. Enough information to be informed by NOT bored.


Section

Mold 101


Possible Website Content

1. What is Mold ?

  • Brief Overview on basics of mold. Mold is like a factory analogy (Karr)
  • How big is mold? Size (include graphic) discuss fragments. Use postage stamp and head of a needle comparison. Mold is like a dried flower analogy (Karr)
  • Types of mold (table?):name, brief description, color, where it likes to grown, (toxigenic, pathogenic, allogenic), associated health
    effects. (Try to keep it less wordy if possible)
  • Where/How does mold grow? What does it need to grow? Video of mold as seed, highlight fact that most mold is hidden (can use pictures of a clean looking house that has no visible growth but mold growth, or Brian Karrs Quiz "Is it mold?". Also include the Mold is like an Iceberg Analogy


Possible Resources

1. What is Mold?

  • AAR has description. Mold is like a factory analogy – Karr has pictures on FB/Instagram Appendix A.
  • AAR and MM has article and graphic on size. Mold is like a dried flower analogy - Karr has analogy with pictures on
    FB/Instagram . Karr also has a post on fragments. Appendix B
  • See Appendix C for websites that have similar content that we can either link to or model our own information from. Karr also highlighted “Know Your Mold” on Instagram and Facebook (has it for aspergillus, Cladosporium, tachybotrys, Chaetomium only). Also Mold Medic Book Chapter 4.
  • AAR, MM, and Brian Karr has content. Video of mold as a seed (Mike?). Mold is like an Iceberg analogy – Karr has pictures on Instagram. Appendix D


2. What are Mycotoxins?

  • (Brief overview); Possible use Mold is like a gun analogy (Karr) loosely summarized is …Not all molds can produce mycotoxins. Even if one can produce mycotoxins, doesn’t mean it always does. Gun analogy – if you own a gun, you aren’t always using it shooting at random things. You might use it if you need to like if someone breaks into your house threatening you. Mold has this loaded gun – doesn’t always use it – meaning its not always giving off mycotoxins. Only produces mycotoxins when threatened. (might be “too violent” of an analogy) Possible include chart of major molds and which mycotoxins they produce. With the increase in mycotoxin urine testing people are becoming more interested in which mycotoxins are produced by which molds

2. What are Mycotoxins?

  • AAR and MM has description. Possible table of mold and corresponding mycotoxin. Better Health Guy Episode 122 has an example of a simple table.
    Appendix E


3. What are bacteria? (graham negative/positive)

  • (4. mVOCs? Not sure where to mention these?)

3. AAR has description Appendix F


4. How do you find mold? (Start by looking for signs of water damage.)

  • Brian Karr’s information on looking for signs of water damage. List signs of water damage. Include pictures. Include Brian’s stat that 8 out of 10 times there are signs of water damage, there is mold. Lots of pictures would be nice since this signs are often overlooked and dismissed as “normal” or “fine” Karr has some pictures of water
    damage that appeared not to have growth but did when he swabbed it. Would be neat to share picture and the results from the swab.
  • General tips on places to look (behind fridge, under sinks, around toilets and tile, HVAC, under windows, etc.) Can mention cheap tools like moisture meter or hygrometer.

Could include a cool graphic of house with like 10 common areas prone to mold and water damage. EPA Link with interactive home tool
https://www.epa.gov/mold/interactive-mold-house-tour

4. How do you find mold?

  • Karr’s Instagram/Facebook/Podcasts. Karr has a "5 signs of mold hidden mold growth" he shares in his paid class. Not sure what he would be willing to use for website .
    Appendix G
  • Karr’s Instagram/Facebook/Podcasts. Karr has a "5 signs of mold hidden mold growth" he shares in his paid class. Not sure what he would be willing to use for website .
    Appendix G

EPA Link with interactive home tool
https://www.epa.gov/mold/interactive-mold-house-tour


5. History of Mold and Water Damage

5. Copy from AAR website Appendix I



Health Impacts of Mold and Water damage buildings (Why should I care about mold and water damage?) need better wording

5. History of Mold and Water Damage

1. What is Mold ?

  • 1.Pick a handful of quotes to various research studies showing the impact. (Cinnamon?) (ex; “Aspergillus has been shown to…. Study X). Can include facts like from EPA study on home many homes in US have water damage, that the average person spends 90%+ time indoors, that the indoor inside is 2 -5 x more toxic than outdoor air, etc. Average human takes 20,000 breaths per day
  • 2. Link to PEER REVIEWED studies and articles and books. Consider linking to Toxic by Dr. Neil Nathan and Break the Mold By Jill Crista
5. Copy from AAR website Appendix I

1. What is Mold?

  • 1. Compile from AAR,MM, and Brandon’s collection Suggestions in Appendix J
  • 2. Compile from AAR,MM, and Brandon’s collection. Possible books Toxic and Break the Mold. Suggestions in Appendix K

Where do I start if I have or suspect water damage?

Perhaps a “Where do I start” graphic or flow chart (ex: step 1. Don’t panic, Step 2: call/vet/hire -Working with a *quality* IEP to test and investigate, step 3: call/vet/hire *quality* remediation company. Step 4: Post Remediation Verification & Cleaning rest of home & belonging Step 5: Reevaluate home and work with a qualified health care practitioner.

Can also consider include separate graphic of what NOT to do (ex: Panic, spray with bleach, cover with killz, or otherwise disturb mold growth. Could be all the things we see people during. End telling people to resist temptation to disturb it, shut off water source if applicable, cover area if applicable and contact an IEP/IH.)

  • 1.Pick a handful of quotes to various research studies showing the impact. (Cinnamon?) (ex; “Aspergillus has been shown to…. Study X). Can include facts like from EPA study on home many homes in US have water damage, that the average person spends 90%+ time indoors, that the indoor inside is 2 -5 x more toxic than outdoor air, etc. Average human takes 20,000 breaths per day
  • 2. Link to PEER REVIEWED studies and articles and books. Consider linking to Toxic by Dr. Neil Nathan and Break the Mold By Jill Crista

1. How do you test for mold

  • Combine content from Karr and Mike . Also Mold Medic book chapter 5. Use ERMI video. But consider making a short video on pros/cons of each type of testing. Kendra has some points to consider including. Appendix L
  • MoldFinder podcast #71 and #61 Appendix M


2. WHAT DOES A GOOD MOLD INSPECTION LOOK LIKE/HIRING A *quality* IEP/IH?

Can also consider include separate graphic of what NOT to do (ex: Panic, spray with bleach, cover with killz, or otherwise disturb mold growth. Could be all the things we see people during. End telling people to resist temptation to disturb it, shut off water source if applicable, cover area if applicable and contact an IEP/IH.)

  • What is an IEP and why you want to hire one as your “mold quarterback”. We should clarify similar titles – industrial hygienist, CMA, etc. Could mention that different from home inspector.
  • What does a *quality* IEP do? (What a good mold investigation/inspection looks like, testing, what does it NOT look like) (VIDEO?)
  • Preparing for your IEP’s visit
  • Resources to find a quality IEP/IH (Include questions to ask when interviewing and IEP) . Maybe include the interactive map from AAR or MM?

2. Mold inspection/Hiring and IEP. Obviously defer to Mike, Corey, and Brian but I included some thoughts on what might be helpful to mention. (Basically I just copied the content I put in my Facebook group when people ask so I am sure its not perfect since I am not a professional and contains points they disagree with)

  • Ask Brian/Mike/Corey. MM book ch. 5. Kendra thoughts in Appendix N
  • Ask Brian/Mike/Corey. MM book ch. 5. Kendra thoughts in Appendix O
  • Ask Brian/Mike/Corey. MM book ch. 5. Kendra thoughts in Appendix P
  • Ask Brian/Mike/Corey. MMbook ch. 5. Kendra thoughts in Appendix Q


3. WHAT DOES GOOD REMEDIATION LOOK LIKE/HIRING A *QUALITY* REMEDIATION COMPANY

Can also consider include separate graphic of what NOT to do (ex: Panic, spray with bleach, cover with killz, or otherwise disturb mold growth. Could be all the things we see people during. End telling people to resist temptation to disturb it, shut off water source if applicable, cover area if applicable and contact an IEP/IH.)

  • What does good remediation look like? (VIDEO 1?) Overview of steps like (set up proper containment, establish proper pressure and engineering controls, demolition/removal of moldy/water damaged area, cleaning inside containment…)
  • Why cleaning the rest of your home matters (including addressing HVAC and ducts)/how to do it (VIDEO 2?) Dealing with your contaminated contents. **This is the piece that has the least amount of reliable information available to the average person, is the most overlooked, that I think we be a game changer for our website and the people we help.
  • Post remediation verification – what it is and why it matters
  • Questions to ask a remediation company?
  • Resources to find a quality remediation company?
  • Common remediation mistakes

3.What does good remediation look like?

Ok – clearly this is Mike’s, Brian’s, and Corey’s expertise and I won’t even attempt to dictate what they writes. What I will do though is share what I compiled for my facebook group. I was limited to resources and links that I could share for free as opposed to paid classes/documents etc. This is the kind of information people need to have a basic understanding of what the process needs to look like. Obviously not everyone will agree with everything in the links. My intention when I shared it in my group was to have it be a place from which people started their research.

  • Appendix R – Kendra’s thoughts
  • Appendix S – Kendra’s thoughts. Also mold medic book ch 7
  • Appendix T -Kendra’s thoughts
  • Appendix U – Kendra’s thoughts
  • Appendix V – Kendra’s thoughts
  • Appendix W – Kendra’s thoughts. Also Karr has a document he shares with people on his email group on 10 remediation mistakes and he shares portions on Instagram. Not sure what he’s comfortable sharing. He highlights a few on Instagram as well.

Mold Prevention

1. How to maintain a safe home. Can highlight things like humidity control, air purifiers, weekly cleaning process). Could use the content on All American Restoration on “Mold Prevention”

2. Weekly cleaning process for your home (how to, products, etc.) Maybe even a checklist. Like a weekly, monthly, bi annual, annually checklist. Helpful tools – moisture meter, hygrometer, leak alarms, under sink trays, etc.

1. Appendix X - Mold Medic Book chapter 11

2. Appendix Y

FAQ

  • Is all Mold Toxic?
  • Can you identify the type of mold just by looking at it?
  • Why aren’t harsh chemicals needed/bleach bad?
  • Why can’t I remediate myself?
  • Is hidden mold trapped?
  • Mold vs. Mildew
  • Should I get my ducts cleaned?
  • can’t my air purifier/fogging (or other bandaid) fix the area?
  • Is dormant or “dead” mold still a health hazard?
  • If mold is not black, is it still dangerous?
  • What can I do to minimize exposure/damage while I make my plan to move/remediate my home? (Dr. Crista and Brian Karr had a great podcast on this, she also has a paid class)

Appendix Z

Healing/Treatment*

Not sure how to do this section without liability issues but we could link to Dr. Crista’s books/website, or Jill Carnahan website/podcast, or Dr. Neil Nathan’s book, Dr. Shoemaker, whoever we feel are leading experts.

Appendix AA

Legal Tips*

Not sure if we can legal give general legal tips. Maybe an article by or interview with Kristina Scurry Baehr

Appendix BB

Insurance Tips

Brian and Corey have a fantastic podcast we could link to.

Appendix CC
Mold Medic book chapter 10

If time allows/Future Tabs

Feature 01
Tips for Buying and Renting a Home 

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Feature 02
Tips for supporting someone suffering from mold illness

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was pop

Feature 03
Building with mold and moisture prevention in mind.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, 

FAQ

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Pros and Cons of the ERMI

(Note: This is all based on my opinion. I am NOT an Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP), so please defer to a trusted IEP before making any decisions on the safety or remediation needs of your home.) 

Pros
  • The MSQPCR technology precise, and if a mold species is present in the sample, it is found and identified.
  • People like the idea that one test can determine the “moldiness” of a home or building.
  • The EPA continues to develop the testing; thus, it should become even more useful over time.
  • Gives a good picture of the history of a home, in terms of water damage and mold issues, so it is a good tool when looking for a safe home to purchase or rent.
  • Can use it to calculate the HERSTMI-2, which was designed specifically for the health assessment of indoor environments.
  • Tests for 36 different types of mold.
  • Because it was developed by the EPA it holds importance in legal cases where mold exposure is on the table.
Cons
  • Some environmental professionals report finding little to no correlation between the ERMI results and actual mold found on site. In other words, it is showing both historical and current mold species. Thus, there could be some mold species present in the sample that may not be a current problem in the home.
  • The cost (several hundred dollars). If remediation is needed additional testing will need to be done to pinpoint the source and cause of the mold problem, so things get expensive quickly.
  • The sample collection method is inconsistent and poorly defined, making accuracy an issue. For example, it was developed by the EPA using the vacuum canister method, but most specimens are now are collected using the cloth method.
  • Dust is taken from multiple sites, so results tell nothing about mold source location or severity.
  • Results are based on a scoring system rather than a sample analysis. Sample analysis is really where the power of the ERMI lies. Thus, to get the most out of it, non-professionals will need to pay or hire a qualified IEP to interpret the results to truly diagnose a home. For example, when an ERMI score is low, but Stachybotrys is present. Stachybotrys produces highly toxic macrocyclic trichothecenes. Because of the low ERMI, the occupant could feel that the home is safe and continue to live there and get sick from the hazardous mycotoxins. Additionally, and this is where the Group I and II distinction comes in that I don’t totally agree with, there low ERMI scores where Mucor and Rhizopus are detected. While considered outdoor molds, if present indoors and stirred up, both can cause a serious illness in immunocompromised individuals.
  • ERMI does not test for the presence of mycotoxins. In scientific literature thus far, mycotoxins are the number one indicator of potential health hazards in the home. Mycotoxins are also what doctors are measuring in a patient’s urine or blood when testing for mold toxicity and mold illness. Without specific information about mycotoxins in the home, it may be hard to tie the patient’s illness to the indoor environment.
Conclusion

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Product Bonuses

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