Toxic Mold Can Damage Even Brand New Homes

Manuel Barnes had spent years removing mold from buildings. But he didn’t realize how seriously some people took the problem until he met a woman from outside Harrison who finally gave up on her moldy home.

“She burned the house down,” Barnes said.

Most people don’t take such drastic measures, but Barnes said he’s seen mold infest a relatively new $700,000 house in Rogers and cause $500,000 of damage to a Jonesboro home. The culprit in the last case? A refrigerator’s leaking ice maker.

Barnes, a former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, founded EGIS Inc. in Bentonville in 1990. EGIS is an environmental consulting company that specializes in indoor air quality and mold remediation for residential and commercial buildings.

Mold is an equal opportunity fungus. It infects houses both new and old, expensive and modest, causing millions of dollars in damages. It also makes people sick. And frequently, Barnes said, people never “connect the dots” to realize their illness is caused by mold.

Barnes is passionate about mold. It’s a personal issue for him. His daughter, Jessi, almost died at the age of two from asthmatic bronchitis. Barnes believes mold growing in the basement had made the house a toxic environment for his child.

“I was the designer and constructor of the home, and I used the best stuff out there,” Barnes said. “The child was hospitalized four times. She had a partially collapsed lung. She was near death at one instance.”

Jessi recovered and even ran track at Bentonville High School, where she had the fourth-fastest time in Arkansas history for the mile run.

The Fungus Among Us

Mold falls under the plant category of fungi. There are more than 300,000 species of mold, Barnes said. It’s basically everywhere, but it’s the amount and type of indoor mold that can make some people sick.

“If we didn’t have mold, we’d have leaves 10 to 20 feet deep out there,” Barnes said, referring to mold’s ability to decompose organic matter. “Mold is pretty pervasive in our environment.”

The main problem is with what has been called “toxic mold.” These molds produce “mycotoxins” that can cause health problems such as fatigue, nausea, headaches, and respiratory and eye irritation. Some people claim toxic mold has caused brain damage, memory loss and even death. But there’s debate among the experts over whether toxic mold can actually kill a person.

“There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss,” the National Center for Environmental Health states on its Web site. “These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.”

“People that have a compromised immune system are the most vulnerable, and that tends to be the young and the old,” Barnes said.

The species most commonly referred to as toxic mold are Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus and Penicillium.

Stachybotrys, a.k.a. stachy, is common in Arkansas and throughout the South. It’s prevalent after flooding, so stachy mold is currently growing up the inside walls in thousands of homes hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita along the Gulf Coast. Many of those homes will have to be gutted because the severity of the problem.

Stachy is the worst of the bunch, Barnes said. It’s called “black mold,” but it doesn’t always appear to be black (since a light colored mold can grow on top of it). And just because a mold is black in color doesn’t mean it’s Stachybotrys.

“Molds are very common in buildings and homes and will grow anywhere indoors where there is moisture,” the NCEH Web site states. “The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alternaria.”

But the NCEH, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends removing any mold found within a home because of the allergic reactions it can cause.

Construction Woes

Since the 1980s, America has seen a rash of mold lawsuits. In October, the Gorman family won a $22.6 million judgment against 17 companies involved in the construction of their new $1.9 million home in Manhattan Beach, Calif. They claim mold in the house caused brain damage to their 5-year-old son Kellen.

Even former “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon got into the act. He filed a $20 million lawsuit claiming that toxic mold in his Los Angeles home killed his dog. McMahon reportedly settled the case earlier this year for $7 million.

But it’s not just a California problem.

Wet lumber is a common cause of mold infestation, Barnes said. During the time it takes to build a home in the South, there’s a 90 percent chance it will rain and soak the lumber, he said. If the lumber isn’t dried thoroughly, it’s like building a house with a natural mold-breeding habitat encased within the walls.

New building techniques and cellulose-based materials that construction companies began using in the 1970s seem to encourage mold growth in homes.

Mold needs moisture to begin growing. In damp places, it can grow on many different types of building materials — wood, ceiling tiles, paint, carpet, drywall or insulation.

Barnes said he’s even seen mold growing on bricks, but the mold was actually living off of the dust on the bricks.

“We’ve only seen two sites that were so bad or in disrepair that it would be better to bulldoze them than to rebuild them,” Barnes said.

Although mold is more likely to infect older homes, those houses often have one thing on their side — cracks.

“Houses back when my grandfather grew up were healthier than houses now because they had cracks,” Barnes said. “Houses that are built now are sealed up tight.”

That tight seal can provide the perfect environment for mold growth, much like a greenhouse, particularly if the owners go on vacation and turn off the central air system.

“We recommend you leave air movement in houses all the time,” Barnes said. “If you have a water problem, it needs to get fixed pronto.”

If a homeowner feels better while out of town, it’s a sign the home may be making them sick, Barnes said.

If mold is discovered during the inspection of a potential new home, experts say it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. Most likely, the mold can be removed if the work is done properly. If it’s just a small amount of mold, the homeowner can probably remove it with a bucket of hot water and soap.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if the moldy patch is less than about 10 SF (roughly 3 feet by 3 feet), the outbreak is considered minor and the homeowner could probably remove it. If it’s toxic mold or people who live in the house suffer from several allergies or asthma, it’s better to call a pro to remove the mold.

Severe mold may be a sign that the house has had a history of water problems, which could send up a red flag to insurance companies. Mold damage isn’t usually covered under most homeowner’s policies.

Costs of Mold Removal

Barnes said EGIS usually charges $500 to $800 to inspect a house, which will include taking three to seven test samples from air, carpet, insulation, etc. If further testing is necessary, the cost could reach $1,500. A team from EGIS recently spent most of a day inspecting a commercial building for $2,000.

It may sound expensive, Barnes said, but hiring EGIS can often save money in the long run.

One of EGIS’ commercial clients was ready to pay $200,000 to replace a large, mold-infested roof. EGIS came in and cleaned up the problem for $20,000, thus saving the roof.

Barnes said EGIS kills mold several different ways. If a wall is “sick,” for instance, EGIS will use a Cold Jet dry-ice machine to blast the mold off surfaces and freeze it at the same time. Then, a fungicide is applied, followed by a mold retardant.

EGIS has even inspected homes during the building process and found mold on the frame. In those cases, they apply fungicide to the exposed lumber before the house is finished. Barnes said people often paint over the mold, but that just covers up the problem.

Barnes said one of the best investments a homeowner can make is to buy an AllerAir air scrubber for $640. The machines suck air in, run it through special filters to remove mold, and blow the cleaner air back into the home.

Barnes doesn’t like ozonators, though, saying they probably do more harm than good to human lungs. Hyped as an antibiotic and fungicide, among other things, the machines allegedly create ozone by adding an extra atom of oxygen to the air molecules.

EGIS, which has a staff of 13, is certified by the American Indoor Air Quality Council. EGIS isn’t the only company that can test for mold in Northwest Arkansas, but Andrew Daniel, the company’s sales/marketing manager, said many of those other companies aren’t able to remove the mold.

To Prevent Mold:

Moisture control is the key to mold control, so when water leaks or spills occur indoors — act quickly. If damp materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours after a leak or spill, in most cases mold won’t grow.

Clean and repair roof gutters regularly.

Make sure the ground slopes away from the building foundation, so that water does not enter or collect around the foundation.

Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly.

Keep indoor humidity low. If possible, keep it below 60 percent (ideally between 30 percent and 50 percent) relative humidity. Relative humidity can be measured with humidity meters, which are available for $5 to $50 at many hardware stores.

Vent appliances that produce moisture, such as clothes dryers, stoves and kerosene heaters to the outside where possible.

Use air conditioners and/or dehumidifiers when needed.

Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering. Use exhaust fans or open windows whenever cooking, running the dishwasher or dishwashing, etc.

If you see condensation or moisture collecting on windows, walls or pipes, dry the wet surface and reduce the moisture/water source. Condensation can be a sign of high humidity.

To Remove Mold:

Scrub mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and dry completely. Fix plumbing leaks and other water problems as soon as possible. Dry all items completely.

Absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be replaced if they become moldy. Mold can grow on or fill in the empty spaces and crevices of porous materials, so it may be impossible to remove the mold completely.

If possible, avoid exposing yourself or others directly to mold.

Don’t paint or caulk moldy surfaces. Clean up the mold and dry the surfaces before painting. Paint applied over moldy surfaces is likely to peel.

If you are unsure about how to clean an item, or if the item is expensive or of sentimental value, consult a professional. Be sure to ask for and check references. Look for specialists who are affiliated with professional organizations.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency