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Mold. Dangerous?


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My children and I have been in and out of doctors for various respiratory issues throughout the last year with no diagnosis. Then this was discovered behind my bathroom and laundry room walls. Does it look like I should have a professional mild remediation company take care of it or is it something that I can employ a contractor for? I know there are tons of different types of mold, so I'm not sure how to proceed.....thanks!

P.S. The leak was found behind the wall and has since been fixed.

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The mold could be the cause of your respiratory problems, but I wouldn't freak out.

It could be from your house, or it could be just about anywhere. The mold grew in the wall because of the water leak. If there were water leaks in other places, mold would grow there too. Mold is everywhere.

The type of mold is unimportant. There isn't such a thing as a specific toxic mold that has the same effects upon all people; one mold might make someone sick, but it won't bother other people. Don't believe the silly crap you read in public media about mold. Most of it is not true.

I'm not saying mold is OK, but the hysteria about mold is completely overblown. Lots of things cause respiratory problems. You live in a subtropical environment; every surface you come into contact with each day and every breath you take is full of mold and other contaminants that could cause respiratory problems.

You got some mold. You did the important thing; you fixed the water leak that caused the mold to grow.

Take out the mold damaged materials and replace them. If the materials aren't damaged, then just wipe up the mold. Ask your doctor to do some specific tests or analysis where they determine if you're predispositioned for mold sensitivities.

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I agree with Kurt.

I'd add that you should ask a mold consultant - not a mold inspector - to test the air within your home for mold spore counts and bring that information with you when you visit your doc to learn about any allergic predispositions you may have.

Also, anything that your mold consultant tells you, if he's a really good one, trumps any conflicting information you've learned here or from any online forum.

There's nothing like a good consultant on site when it comes to mold, and again, avoid mold inspectors. This is over their heads.

Marc

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I might be a little more worried about what looks like PB piping, in the second pick.

........you're right. And what makes it even more worrisome, is the fact that it appears to be done with acetal plastic fittings - and in my experience the vast majority of leaks stem from the fittings as they age and become brittle as opposed to the pipe itself.........Greg

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My children and I have been in and out of doctors for various respiratory issues throughout the last year with no diagnosis. Then this was discovered behind my bathroom and laundry room walls. Does it look like I should have a professional mild remediation company take care of it or is it something that I can employ a contractor for? I know there are tons of different types of mold, so I'm not sure how to proceed.....thanks!

P.S. The leak was found behind the wall and has since been fixed.

Click to Enlarge
tn_2014112663423_IMG_0581.jpg

45.16 KB

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tn_2014112663455_IMG_0579.jpg

47.18 KB

You should cut out the moldy section of drywall and replace it with clean drywall.

Now, if it was me, and I had been suffering from respiratory issues, I'd take the opportunity to do some troubleshooting on my own body. I'd save the moldy piece of drywall in a Ziploc bag, take it outside, and breathe deeply from the bag to see what my body did in reaction to it. If there was no reaction, I'd rub some of the mold on the inside of my nose to see if I could provoke a reaction. If the stuff made me sick, I'd go on a mold hunt throughout the house. If the stuff didn't have any effect, then I'd dedicate my resources to looking for other things.

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