Dr Jackson Kung'u- Mold Specialist

Helping People Resolve Mold Problems

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Dr. Jackson Kung’u (PhD)- Mold Specialist.
Phone: 905-290-9101
Mobile: 437-556-0254

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Fungi

Crawlspace Mold Growth

Question: I have an 8 year old home in BC’s Gulf Islands. On a recent trip into my crawlspace noticed some mold growth or fungus on the underside of the vapor barrier that is applied over the earth in the crawlspace. There is no sign of any mold growth elsewhere. The crawlspace has four vents that have been opened all summer, and I see no moisture in the crawlspace except some water droplets probably condensation under the vapor barrier. The concrete walls of the foundation are insulated and the crawlspace is correctly vented. Should I be concerned, should I close the vent’s over winter, or is there anything else I should do to stop this.

Thanks.

Answer: If you only noticed minor mold growth on the underside of the vapor barrier, you don’t have to be concerned. However, I would suggest you continue monitoring the entire crawlspace and if you see mold growing on wood, it’s an indication that the crawlspace is damp enough to support mold growth. In that case I would recommend that you consult a professional experienced in building foundation to determine the cause of dampness and how it may be rectified. As long as the the crawlspace is damp there will be mold growth.

Black Mould

Question:  My tenants are saying that there is black mould in my rental townhouse. I’ve replaced fixtures in the bathrooms, stopped leaks and spent thousands of dollars but they are still bringing in the local public health inspector.

I’m allergic to black mould myself and have been in while damaged drywall was being removed. I handled it myself with no ill effects and observed the joist cavities being treated with mould inhibiting sprays and ‘killex’.

Should I be worried that my tenants are still pursuing this investigation? I’ve taken every remedial step I can think of and the only stuff I saw was dried up and the rest looked like shower mildew to me. All the discoloration spots on the bathroom ceiling stuff came off with a cleaner called BAM and the paint was unaffected once the ceiling was wiped down.

Answer: Shower mildew is actually mould though it may not be what people call black mould (Stachybotrys chartarum). I would suggest you hire a qualified professional such as an industrial hygienist who is experienced in indoor microbial contamination. This person should be able to assess the extent of contamination, possibly determine the underlying cause, and then advise on the most appropriate level of remediation. They may also be able to advise you whether the tenants’ lifestyle could be contributing to mould growth. For instance, if they don’t switch the fan on (if there is one) when showering or bathing, then there will be mould growth due to condensation on the walls and the ceiling.

If you have further questions regarding black mould, please contact us at 905-290-9101.

Mold On Books

Question: My question regards mold on books. I’ll try not to make this too long but I’m not sure how short it can be. Three questions:

  1. I found mold on books in my home and wiped it clean. It seems to have gone away and we feel fine. We do have allergies but these are due to the area we live in. It’s probably hard to say but….are we safe?
  2. I’m a comic book collector and I’m worried about the mold we found spreading to my comics. The mold is gone now and my books are not near the spot where the mold was found. Can my comics be in danger? I was told mold has a sweet smell….these comics seem to smell fine. It would be a shame to have to get rid of them.
  3. Another batch of comics I placed in storage does smell funny, though they were never wet while in storage and I don’t live in a humid environment (I live in California. It’s really hot and really dry, high humidity is rare). Should I be worried?

Mold on books

Sorry about all the questions, thanks for taking time to read this.

 

Answer: As you pointed out, it’s hard to say whether you’re save or not. I would suggest you consult a qualified local professional who may come to your home and assess the level of mold contamination and then recommend an appropriate level of mold remediation. Wiping out mold on books is a temporary solution if the underlying cause (moisture problem) is not addressed. If mold growth was extensive, it’s possible you’re inhaling millions of airborne fungal spores.

As for your second and third questions regarding the comics, I suggest you keep the books in a dry environment. Damp books will develop mold over time. Remember that mold produces chemicals (enzymes) that break down the material on which the mold is growing. So, eventually you may have to discard the books if they are badly damaged. Mold on books can be removed if the books are not damaged.

If you have further questions regarding mold on books please call 905-290-9101 in Ontario or 604-435-6555 in British Columbia.

Tinea Capitis or Scalp Ringworm

Question: My friend has been to a dermatologist and a family Doctor due to the fact that she was losing hair in large areas of the scalp. I told her maybe it was Ringworm (Tinea Capitis) as I have seen it before in a class I took in Cosmetology. Well the Dermatologist finally told her to stop taking the Griseofulvin that the GP had her on and said it was Alopecia areata. She continued to lose large amounts of hair and is still losing it! Her pathology came back as Fusarium species. So…where did this come from and is it contagious? How is it treated? She was concerned as she lives in a recreational vehicle (RV) that she may have a problem in there or from her boyfriend who lives in a place where the water is really stinky and she has showered there. Please let me know your take on this as the Dermatologist said the water would not affect hair loss but from what I’m reading this fungus can be in water pipes or damp places. Thank you for your time!

 Answer: Tinea capitis (TC) or scalp ringworm is a common dermatophyte infection of the scalp in children. The Fusarium species isolated from your friend’s scalp is highly unlikely the primary cause of the hair loss. Fungi that are well documented as causes of hair loss are species of Trichophyton and Microsporum. They cause a condition referred to as tinea capitis. Although primarily affecting children between the ages of three and seven years of age, tinea capitis also afflicts adults and more commonly women than men. Most cases of tinea capitis are caused by Trichophyton tonsurans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton violaceum, and Trichophyton verrucosum.

Tinea capitis is spread via infected persons, shed infected hairs, animal vectors, and fomites.

Age Of Mold

Question: I would really appreciate an advice on a matter of mold.  I am having a hard time to get a straight answer locally.  I am a self-employed marine surveyor who, along with a food inspector, inspected and dumped about 200 bottles of jam that had broken in transit. This was on Christmas Eve. Because some of the jam had developed mold, I asked the food inspector if we could test for the age of the mold to determine the approximate time/location of the damage. He advised that to determine the age of the mold, the temperature and relative humidity (RH) of the environment in which it was transported was required. The jam had been transported in a shipping container but temperature or RH data was not available.

When I see forensics on CSI testing for age of dead bodies, I find it hard to believe that the age of mold cannot be similarly determined.

I would be grateful if you could let me know, for my edification, whether it is possible to test for the age of mold.

Thank you for your kind assistance. Best regards.

Answer: I am not aware of a simple test that could be used to determine the age of mold. Also, in the case of the damaged jam bottles, the age of the mold may not help determine the approximate time/location of the damage. If we define age as the duration of time during which a cell, tissue, or organism has existed as a distinct entity, defining the age of mold could be a problem. This is because the network of fungal filaments (the mycelia) or spores from which the visible mold develops could be several years old. Another fact that complicates defining the age of mold is that mold grows only at the hyphal tips, and therefore the cells at the advancing edge of a fungal colony are the youngest, and those progressively nearer the centre are older. If we could determine the time (and not the age) it took the mold to develop into visible growth, this could help us determine the approximate time of damage. From laboratory observations of the growth rates of molds under different growth conditions, we may speculate how long it took for the visible growth to appear on the jam if we knew the type of mold and the conditions under which the jam was transported.