Dr Jackson Kung'u- Mold Specialist

Helping People Resolve Mold Problems

Contact Us

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

Home | Stachybotrys

Stachybotrys

Stachybotrys – The Black Mold Demystified

Since the 1993-1994 unusual outbreak of pulmonary hemorrhage (lung breeding) in infants in Cleveland, Ohio, that was then thought to be due to  exposure to Stachybotrys, the health effects associated with this mold have remained controversial. Frequently referred to as the Black Mold by the general public, Stachybotrys has probably caused more economic and psychological agony than ill-health. The mold has resulted in multimillion dollar remediations and litigations.

Stachybotrys was first associated with death of horses in Eastern Europe in the 1930s. Horses fed with hay contaminated with Stachybotrys were reported to surfer from a disease characherized by irritation of the mouth, throat, and nose; shock; dermal necrosis; a decrease in leukocytes; hemorrhage; nervous disorder; and death.

While Stachybotrys is so much feared the number of cases where it was the cause of ill-health or death are insignificant compared to some other toxigenic molds such as Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus fumigatus. There are about 15 species of Stachybotrys but the most well known is Stachybotrys chartarum. Stachybotrys chartarum is sometimes erroneously referred to as pathogenic mold. When encountered in buildings it’s a serious problem for homeowners, building managers and remediation contractors who must deal with the human issues and remediation. The presence of a single spore in an air sample is enough for some professionals to declare the remediated building unfit for human occupancy. Currently there is no scientific evidence to support such a decision. Perhaps such decisions are driven by fear of liability, fear of being sued by someone who may later believe they were sick because the building was found to have a few spores of Stachybotrys when they occupied it. It’s time the scientific community demystified Stachybotrys, the black mold, for everyone’s peace of mind.

Should you have a question on Stachybotrys please contact us at 905-290-9101 in Ontario or 604-435-6555 in British Columbia.

References

1. Stachybotrys chartarum: The Toxic Indoor Mold.

2. Indoor Mold, Toxigenic Fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum: Infectious Disease Perspective.

Stachybotrys

Question:  Hello there. I work in a boat and recently we discovered that we had a lot of mould on our ceiling. A company came and tested the mould and it came back to be Stachybotrys or some thing similar (sorry about the spelling…). They are planning to clean the area with air cleaners and filters etc. They say that the mould is only in two of the five crew rooms and nothing in the other rooms. Is it possible to have mould so confined, or is this just my superior’s explanation. Also, I have been living here for the past year. What effect can this mould have on me? Should I be worried about any thing..?? Thank you for your help…, It’s always hard to know the truth when you work in a boat. Every thing goes through the captain, and he decides what we should know.

Again thank you for your time.

 Answer: Yes, it’s Stachybotrys or what the general public refers to as black mould. As, to whether mould can be confined to some areas, yes, it can. Generally, mould, and especially the type that requires excessive moisture such as Stachybotrys will only grow in those areas that are extremely wet.

If you’re not feeling sick, I would think there is no need for you to be worried. Not everybody is susceptible to indoor mould. Also, the effect of indoor mould is only likely to persist if an individual who is susceptible to mould continues to be exposed. Exposure to molds such as Stachybotrys is mainly through inhalation. Fortunately spores of Stachybotrys do not become airborne easily unless they are disturbed.

What are mould colonies?

Question: I had some mold samples tested through a lab here in the US. The results returned showing Aspergillus 19 colonies for the first sample. The second sample results were Aspergillus 3 colonies, Geotrichum 1 colony, and Penicillium 1 colony. What are colonies and what does the number of them stand for? There is a serious problem in our home and none of us is doing great health wise. Any info you could give me would be very much appreciated.

Colonies of Penicillium and Stachybotrys
Answer: In biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) refers to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together. In case of mould, colonies refer to individual growths (see picture). The number of colonies is a count of those individual growths (colonies) and they may belong to different types of mould or same type. For example in your case the first sample had only Aspergillus (19 colonies) and the second sample had 3 different types of mould. That’s Aspergilus (3 colonies),  Geotrichum (1 colony) and Penicillium (1 colony). The picture on the right shows colonies of 2 different types of moulds. The blue-green colonies belong to Penicillium and the rest (with greenish centers) are Stachybotrys colonies.

The number of colonies reported for the 2 samples do not appear to be high but this does not mean you don’t have a mould problem. You may want to seek help from a qualified local environmental consultant who may be able to assess the extent of mould growth in your home and advise you on what to do.