Dr Jackson Kung'u- Mold Specialist

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

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Black mold

Black mold on walls

Question: I had a lot of black mold or at least I thought that’s what it was so I took a blow torch and burned it off. It hasn’t come back but now I found a growth of some kind almost like a very fine hair, some of which is about an inch long and a gray color. I put the torch to it as well but this growth turned into a liquid and some would drop on the floor and some would stay on the walls and looked like a clear lacquer. I torched it about 4 days ago and now it has dried completely and the cement wall is a very light color and seems very dry as if it was dusted with powder. At one part I rubbed some grease on it and instantly fell to the floor and nothing seems to be growing back.
Any ideas what we may have here? It is quite damp in that area at times.

Answer:  From your description, it’s difficult for me to guess what type of black mold is on the walls in your home. I am also not sure if, when burned, mold would turn into a liquid that would drip. Obviously if the place is always damp, it’s liable to mold growth.

Green and black mold

Question:  In my basement in the corner wall we have a large amount of green and black mold growing. It has been raining a lot lately and has been very damp.  We have a finished basement, chip rock painted and the mold is growing on that. Can you tell the type of mold by the color? Is this a real bad thing? Is the mold growing in the walls or just on the out side? What should be done to fix this problem?

Answer: It’s difficult to identify mold on color alone especially when growing on say a drywall. A number of molds look alike and the only way to differentiate them is to examine them under a microscope. However, an experienced mycologist (one who studies molds and yeasts) can identify a few species such as Stachybotrys and Chaetomium if they see the actual mold growth in the house.

As to whether the mold is bad, I would say all moulds are potentially a health hazard and should not be allowed to grow in homes or any environment where human beings spend a significant a mount of time. That does not mean people should panic whenever they see mould in their homes or offices. Most indoor molds will not infect humans or animals and therefore can only affect us through inhalation of airborne spores or if we ingest toxins produced by some molds during growth. Also, whether an individual is to be affected by mold or not will depend on other factors such as the amount of mold, the type of mold, duration of exposure and the individual’s immune system. Scientists estimate that only about 20% of the human population is susceptible to developing allergies, and is easily sensitized by normal spore concentrations (up to 106 spores/m3).

Growth of most indoor moulds is restricted to the surface of the materials they are growing on. It’s very likely that the mold growing in your basement is just on the outside. With damp conditions in the basement, mold will continue growing. You could try to use a dehumidifier to see if this could help to keep the basement relatively dry.

Black mold in the basement

Question: We have black mold in our basement along the wall where water damage occurred 5 years ago. It has been there for some time and the basement smells terribly musty.

I have developed an allergic reaction in my eyes and my father’s coughing has worsened. We would like to have it tested as soon as possible. Since the mould is in the concrete wall, how would we extract samples? Thank you for your help.
 
Answer: To get a sample of the mold, please get clear scotch tape. Cut about 3 inches and stick the tape on the surface with mold. Peel the tape and stick it on a plastic bag (e.g., ziplock bag). If the surface is wet, you can use a swab or Q-tip. Put the sample in an envelope and send it to us by mail or you can bring it to the lab. You can get more information on the web page http://www.moldbacteria.com/moldtesting_for_homeowners.html  Please contact us by phone at 905-290-9101 if you have further questions.

Black Mold Symptoms

When it comes to indoor mold, “Black Mold” is one of the most searched phrases on Google, Yahoo and MSN. According to the SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool, daily total search for “black mold” from Google, Yahoo and MSN is about 710 and if we include all phrases that contain the phrase “black mold”, the total daily search from the 3 search engines comes to about 1700.

But what is “Black Mold”? It refers to a mold known by the scientific name as Stachybotrys chartarum. It is not the only mold that appears black. Stachybotrys species thrive well on wet cellulose containing materials. Since it requires extremely wet conditions to grow, it’s one of the molds used as indicators of moisture damage.

The Controversy Regarding Black Mold symptoms

Scientists generally agree that exposure to damp, moldy home and workplace environments has serious health effects. However, clear causal relationship between individual or groups of mold and ill health is yet to be established. However, despite lack of proven evidence, the detection of Stachybotrys in the indoor environment has led to fear and panic and subsquent closure of office buildings and schools, and even burning of houses and household belongings in some situations.

Stachybotrys was first associated with a toxic response in horses in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine in the 1930s. Horses consuming contaminated straw or hay showed shock, dermal necrosis, leukopenia (a decrease in the white blood cell count), nervous disorders, and death. What fueled the fear for Stachybotrys was an outbreak, between 1993 and 1998, of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding of lungs) in the Cleveland, Ohio, area where 37 infants were affected (see Infant Pulmonary Hemorrhage in a Suburban Home with Water Damage and Mold (Stachybotrys atra) ). An investigation led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention originally linked the outbreak to household exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum, and other molds (see Overview of Investigations into Pulmonary Hemorrhage among Infants in Cleveland, Ohio).

Most of the symptoms attributed to black mold still remain controversial since none of them has scientifically been proven. These symptoms include:

  • Asthma and other respiratory problems
  • chronic fatigue,
  • Skin irritation
  • lung bleeding

Black Mold Growth In Buildings

The black mold, Stachybotrys chartarum, is the mold feared most by the general public. It’s one of the molds used as indicators of moisture damage in a building. Black mold thrives on wet materials rich in cellulose. It’s commonly isolated from soil and decaying plant matter such as straw. In buildings black mold is found growing on very wet gypsum board, wallpaper, cotton fabrics and textiles,  and other materials containing cellulose.

Unlike some other indoor molds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium that produce dry spores, spores of black mold (Stachybotrys) are produced in wet form. This means that the spores of Stachybotrys do not easily become airborne until they dry out or get disturbed say during renovations. Therefore, if pre-remediation air samples, for example, contain a few spores of black mold, it’s important to try and locate the source of those spores. The mold is most likely to be located in areas with a history of moisture damage.

Medical Significance Of Black Mold

While black mold is highly publicized as the cause of all sorts of health problems, it’s medical significance still remains controversial.