n/a19

Mike I didn't attack you personally why would you find it necessary to attack me? Knowing you would stoop to that level as a professional speaks volumes about your character. Would you eat food that was moldy? Of course you wouldnt, why? Because it would make you sick but did you know the feed grain industry losses billions of dollars annually due to micotoxin contaminated feed grain fed to livestock? Before that livestock can be consumed it must be insured to be healthy which means mycotoxin free. Again, would you eat food (meat) that's moldy? You wouldn't buy food that's moldy would you? Why would you allow someone to live in a house that has mold? Mold is a natural occurrence, it's natures way of removing the dead so new life can begin. Your body is organic mold can and will take over your system. Candida is caused from mold and it's alive and well in everyone system and usually doesn't cause any problems it's when the natural balance in a persons system gets upset that candida pose health problems. Regardless of how mold is ingested be it air or food it will throw off that natural balance and if allowed to go for to long without being treated it will effect every organ in your body. People's lives depend on your judgment and knowing your so callous about something as serious mold I can't help but feel sorry for anyone who hires you and puts their future in your hands.

I don't know the specifics of the case but most people don't realize how mold can be toxic and create damage beyond belief. The housing market is saturated with foreclosure and there's not a single person assigned by the title holder to ensure these properties aren't protected against water damage be it a broken water pipe or a leaky roof. The housing market isn't going to be in a slump forever and these homes will soon be occupied. The individuals who hire an home inspector who views mold as an inconvenience as opposed to a health hazard will give the new home owner a false sense of security and the home owner will suffer long term health effects due to the home inspectors ill conceived belief mold is everywhere therefore it can't be hazardous. Mold is a toxic it can cause health issues and if not addressed immediatly it can even cause death. Please take the time to educate yourself on the effects of mold exposure and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Mike, its unfortunate that you a housing inspector doesnt know much about mold, mold spores and mycotoxins but I'll try to give you a better understanding of how mold works. Mold releases mold spores in order to survive, these mold spores are just waiting for the perfect conditions to colonize once they do the whole process starts all over. As time goes by mold overtakes the structure, once a person is exposed long enough regardless of where the mold is they can and will have health issues. Once the hvac is turned on the spores are sucked into through the return and and distributed through out the house making the house as contaminated as in my case the crawl space. Depending on the individual and their susceptibility to mold will determine what course of action that person will have to take beings no one knows whether they immune system will be able to remove the toxins one must assume the worst and hope for the best. I am one of those people whose immune system cant detox as fast as Im ingesting mold spores so the toxin continues to build up in my system causing a whole host of other illnesses due to mold and the mycotoxins that are in the air. Theres a term called Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) which is recognized by the EPA you can read more about it http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/sbs.html. Regardless of what the toxin is if exposed long enough it will over come the individual and create health issues. Mold is one of those toxins that some people (like myself) cant handle and must practice extreme avoidance to allow their system to remove the toxin and regain their health. Beings youre an inspector all Im asking you to do is take the time to read how mold can destroy a person life and take years to regain their health. In the mean time they have lost everything to isolate themselves because if they dont they'll never recover. Below are the pictures of my crawl space, hard to believe someone could actually miss a crack that size and that much water damage not to mention the mold on the a/c coils. Click to Enlarge 56.95 KB Click to Enlarge 58.63 KB

I read some of the replies that were posted just recently and would like to know where you get your information concerning mold and how it's hype or over stated? Opinions are fine and dandy but mold in a home is a health hazard. Granted mold is everywhere and can't be avoided but when it's in a confined space like a home or office it doesn't take long to cause health problems due to the fact the mold spores that are released and are more concentrated. Mold gives off VOC's which stands for Volatile Organic Compounds which is exactly that VOLATILE! What's bothersome is most here are home inspectors and to think they would think that mold can't create health problems in someones home isn't a problem is just wrong and should think about another line of work. More times than not a home inspector doesn't know his clients on a personal level and must assume that mold can create health problems down the road and shouldn't be taken lightly

This thread is a couple of years old so I'm sure the OP has had the mold remediated. Jerry its thinking like that, that causes people to think mold isn't a health hazard. Mold is a toxic substance, exposed long enough even the most healthy person can be effected by it. It won't take long for the mold spores and mycotoxins to become air born get in the hvac and spread throughout the entire house contaminating everything. Some people myself are hypersensitive to mold due to a prolonged exposure, just like any other allergen once exposed it doesn't take long before the immune system to fight the invader and start a cascade of health problems so much so that the body starts to attack itself.

The home inspector I hired missed a sewage leak and a 3' foot long 6" wide horizontal crack in the crawl space which resulted in mold. I kept emailing him asking why the crawl spaces smelled so bad he insisted the smell was because the unit hadn't been occupied in over a year (previous owner bought the condo just to flip it). Turns out there was a broken sewage pipe on the other side of my foundation wall that had broke and sewage initially started seeping in through the foundation as time went by the soil eroided and the sewage started coming in from the bottom of the foundation wall. I lived in the condo 6 weeks before I became so sick I was forced to abandon the condo and all my belongings. I am now hypersensative to mold and must live in a house that hasn't had any water leaks mold or mold spores. Can't get an attorney because mold cases are to expensive and I don't have the money to pay up front. Beings I have pictures of 5" of contaminated water in a 6" hole combined with the crack in the foundation I could hold him for gross negligence, no such luck. Had he even mentioned the foundation crack it would have raised some flags and we would have looked into why the foundation was cracked. I worked for a major airline for 25 years which i lost due to my on going health problems caused by mold, the condo, all my possessions, had to file for bankruptcy used up ever penny of my retirement and am one move away from being homeless. My life has been ruined and this so called home inspector keeps inspecting homes never giving a second thought on how he single handedly completely destroyed my life. I'm begging you, next time you go out on an inspection to please pay close attention to detail some inspectors don't realize how one missed item can have such a huge impact on a persons life.