House Mold Question and Answer163
Q.
I am not sure if I need a mold inspection or if I could do this on my own. I
live in an apartment that had a rather large flood from the above apartment.
This was probably over 6 months ago. The water covered not only the bathroom
floor, but my bedroom floor, under the bed, the closet carpet and the
hallway. I called the Manager and it
took a day or more for him to come and inspect this. He told me to have fans
circulate, which I did. He tried to vacuum as much of the water as he could.
It took another week before I heard from the landlady, who said it would be
taken care of. Another two weeks went by and mold was beginning. I called
the health Board and they came and said it appeared to be mold and she had
30 days to fix this. The padding under the carpet also was turning green and
black, besides the bathroom ceiling. She did, after three weeks make
repairs. What I discovered, was that they just painted over the mold on the
ceiling and never changed the padding. Now, the mold is once again growing
and spreading. I was told two weeks ago it would be corrected and so far,
she has not even been here. Now, this may be a
coincidence, but since I also work from home, I am here all the time. I am having trouble
sleeping, I am always nauseous, I feel as if I have the flu all the time and
my eyes burn and I have no energy. Am I being paranoid? [June 17, 2003]
A.
The severe water flooding from above [which
probably put water and thus moisture for mold growth INSIDE your ceiling and
walls], your serious health problems, and your sighting of visual mold all
have one conclusion for you---move out as soon as possible to a mold-safe
place. You will ruin your family's health by continuing to live in mold
contamination. Most landlords will not do what it takes for effective mold
inspection, testing, and remediation. In your apartment, you would need to
be out of the apartment anyways for the safe and complete removal of mold
contaminated ceiling and wall drywall materials and the chemical treatment. To know what is required for effective mold
remediation, please visit:
Mold
Removal . Do not move any of your
clothing or personal possessions without first decontaminating them of mold
spores in accordance with the precise instructions for all types of personal
property that are included in our book
DIY Mold Book [available at:
Mold Mart
]. If you are interested in finding out what legal rights you may have
against the landlord for damage to your health and to your personal property
and for having to move, consult with a local environmental attorney [
Mold Lawyer ].
Q.
It turns out
that a bad roof has caused a lot of mold, some in walls, some in basement
from moisture. several kinds appeared when tested, green, and
some of the black variety. Can I really
eradicate the problem, by taking off roof, siding sheet rock, then replacing
sheet rock inside, and power spraying the underneath wood outside, treating
it, then new insulation and siding? This is my house, I had wanted
to sell, but I will not sell with a problem. Can it be eradicated by
getting to its source, then treatment. If so, which treatment is best. I
need to decide in a couple of days, or the contractor will have to move on
to other jobs, then I'll miss the summer selling season. [June 16, 2003]
A. If you are handy in doing repairs or have helpers that are, you
would save large amounts of money in doing your own mold remediation. In
addition, you can make sure it is done properly. Many mold remediators leave
as much or more mold in homes and other buildings AFTER mold remediation
than before they did their supposed mold removal. Learn all of the steps
required in effective mold remediation by visiting:
Mold
Removal If you are not handy for
doing such detailed mold removal procedures, hire a
Certified Mold
Contractor or
Certified
Mold Remediator----visit:
Mold Profession.
|
Toxic
Mold Inspection, Mold Testing