Mold...

[tawn]

We''ve been sick for 3 months...and blaming in on my allergies, and then my son''s sickness on all the viruses floating around school. Turns out we have mold in our townhouse...and I''m positive that it''s what is making us sick. We have all of the classic symptoms. They''re already trying to cover themselves saying that it''s a small amount, and that most of it''s mildew behind the wall, etc....

I don''t feel comfortable living here now...we''ve been so ill for months and coudln''t figure out what was doing it! I have asthma like symptoms for the first time in my life.

Does anyone have any related stories to share?

I want then to move me to a new renovated townhome!

What do you think...

 

[blueroses]

It''s BAD stuff--some friends of mine have black mold (the toxic stuff) in their downstairs and they have guys in HAZMAT suits dealing with it. I''m not sure who the proper resource would be, but if you rent, you might want to see what kind of legal recourse you have. Bleah!!

 

[jellybean]

Tawn -- I''m sending you a PM as we are dealing with the same issues in our bathroom!

 

[lost on 5th]

im soooo sorry to hear about your problems. is it a new building? new renovation? old building?

try not to worry... there are solutions once the exact cause of the problem is found. it is one of the larger problems that the building industry is facing as construction becomes more air-tight.

what your are describing sounds like SBS "sick building syndrome" or sim.

take a look here: EPA

i will try to find more for you when later today...

 

[Lord Summerisle]

sorry to hear... its something i have always struggled with, with my own asthma - and allergies to dust.

but also something i have come accross in my university work, and tried to aleviate in the designs of the buildings i draw up - i certainly wouldnt want to have put my name to as building that makes folk sick.

some of the terrible conditions of social housing local councils inflic on the most vunlrable in this country is appaling - have been into some flats where there is black mould covering entire walls - all because of cut corners.

if you have one - get an environmental officer from local gov. to come and take samples for testing or at least a look.

help you self by putting pillows and soft toys in the freezer over the coause of the next week for 4 hours or so to kill the dust mites, even not making your bed in a morn can help on that one - since an uncovered bed means the tempurature and humidity changes rapidly - killing off the mites quicker.

good luck

 

[Lord Summerisle]

Date: 6/9/2005 5:50:20 PM
Author: lost on 5th
try not to worry... there are solutions once the exact cause of the problem is found. it is one of the larger problems that the building industry is facing as construction becomes more air-tight.

yes for at least the last 20 years the industry shas had the mantra ''build tight, build right'' while forgetting that people need to breath.

tests showed that in the uk the average 150 year old terrace house with its origonal chimnerys, open fires, wall vents, sash windows.. resulted in at min a room air change of 1 roomfull of air an hour... with the fire going that rose to 2 - 3 changes per hour... plenty of fresh air through - different temperaters in rooms ment thje body had to keep active - boosting the immune system...

compared with a modern home built to todays standards - double glazing, no chimney - less than a 1/3rd change an hour if that... meaning dust, moisture and all asorted crap lingers.. resulting in a more unhealthy atmosphere.

which is why many of use are going with the mantra - ''build right, ventilate right''

 

[Lord Summerisle]

try here

 

[MINE!!]

When we bought our first home it was very nice. We were in love with it. My oldest was only about 4 months when we moved in. Within days, she was having temps over 105. We ended up in the hospital almost every night for about 5 months. We did blood work over and over again and nothing made sense!! It was very scary.

While this was going on, we were getting ready to replace the carpet. The house was built in 1976 and we bought it in 96. It still had the orginal ''builders'' carpet in it. Sooooo....

The day we pulled up the carpet was just UNBELEIVABLE!! There was this nasty mold all over the slab. It was disgusting. So I spent 2 days mopping it over and over with bleach over and over. Of course I still did not make the connection. My daughter had just been in the hospital again 2 days before....

We had the carpet laid after the bleach and soap etc dried and it looked wonderful! We were excited. About 6 months later... I realized that we had not been to the hospital since we laid down the new carpet. My daughter never ran high fevers like that again. her Ped. was amazed and started asking me what I was doing differently... I couldn''t think if anything... Until I told him the last time we took her to the Hospital was right before we replaced the old carpet... BINGO!! It must have been the mold that was growing under the carpet.. and of course... as a baby... she was always right down there on it.....

It is nasty stuff! Good luck to you!

 

[tawn]

Wow...apparently mold is somewhat of an epidemic! Thanks for all of the replies and info (which I haven''t had time to look up yet!) The guys came out and looked at it today, and we have some water damage behind the tub enclosure, and there was a small area of mold there. They removed that part of the drywall and treated the area, and have to come back to do some more. We also had some surface stuff around the windows that is a constant problem! I guess this is what you get for living on the beach...They are also going to shampoo the carpets with something that helps with allergies, etc...

But, in the meantime, I consulted with my Dr. and he said that he''ll write us a letter and insist that they move us to another recently renovated unit. Apparently, this way it will cut down any hassle about getting moved. (The guy checking the mold told us that it would be the fastest way to get them to relocate us!)

So...I get a full report tomorrow and find out what they plan to do.

 

[diane5006]

Sorry to hear of your problem...

One other thing to look into (IF you have them) is getting your air ducts cleaned...

When I moved into my first house...my allergies and asthma went wild...it was horrible...I was misarable...I was really trying to figure out what was happening...it was a >100yr old house with a fieldstone basement that could be 'moist' at times...so I did consider mold...I knew (from testing) that I was allergic to dust mites...so i decided to do the duct cleaning first (versus major basement work)....After I had it done my problems disappeared...YEAH... when they did the duct cleaning they also sprayed something in it I think it was to help keep out mold in the duct system...you also need to get a good filter and change it often....

You may not have this type of heating/cooling system...but I thought I would share....you may also want to get allergy tested ( if you haven't already)

 

[IrishEyes]

Ack!!

I hope everything works out for you! It''s pretty scary to think of what is lurking unseen in our homes

 

[tawn]

I''ve had allergies for years and take Zyrteg and Flonase...but they''ve never been asthma-like and all of sudden I''m wheezing, coughing and I sound like I''ve been smoking 5 packs a day for 50 years!. I never turn the heat on here...and we live in San Diego, so we can get away with it. When we''ve turned the air on in the past, I get so stuffed up and itchy, and my eyes burn...so we just leave it off!

I don''t think they did check the ducts when they were here today though...I''ll have to follow-up on that!

 

[Blue824]

Yikes -- at least you figured out the cause of your illnesses. I don''t really have any advice, looks like some helpful things have been posted, but I really hope you can get moved! Hope you guys start to feel better soon.

 

[jellybean]

We had our air ducts cleaned last fall and we have had all sorts of problems since then!

We were all getting sick and thought it might be the ducts so we had them cleaned. My allergies were so horrible the next couple of days and right after that my son got a really bad cold.

I don''t think I''ll get the ducts cleaned again anytime soon.

Hmm...haven''t thought about the carpeting being a source of mold as well...

 

[perry]

Sorry to hear of your problems: I fully understand as I am affected by various houshold allergies as well.

Here are the steps that I have had to take in order to control things and live a productive life:

1) I gave away my living room furnature - it was full of dust mites.

2) While I lived in rental properties I cleaned the carpet with product that killed dustmites every 4 - 6 months.

3) I encased my mattress, box spring, and all pillows with dust mite covers. Actually, you should probably just buy new pillows first as the average 10 year old pillow is 1/2 by weight dust mite debris. In my case I eventually also purchased new mattress and box spring and encased them in dust mite covers right out of the plastic bag. I double covered the mattress as the covers do wear - and then change the mattress dust mite cover about every 4 months. Wallmart caries dust mite covers (the only national chain that I am aware of); and several web vendors.

4) I have a series of HEPA based air filters in multiple rooms in the place. Now that I own a house - I have a total of 5 large ones (they can only effectively deal with a room so large). Note that Ionic cleaners are not as effective as HEPA filters and cause other problems for people with asthma (and if you have dust mite allergies you have at least mild asthma). Make sure you get HEPA filters that are rated by a national organization (AHAM). There is one "prominent" well established mfr who''s products are distributed by some major allergie help centers that has had to drop some of their original claims (you wont even see those claims now) - and their other claims just don''t stack up as reasonable when you compare them to other similar sized AHAM rated machines. Last time I checked they had not had their air filter rated (and I believe that if would not even come close to the old rating they used to claim).

Note that when purchasing HEPA based filtration pay more attention to the cost and availability of replacement filters than the cost of the intial unit. I personnaly purchased some high priced units that have replacement filters that cost a lot less. I am very much money ahaed, and given that I have 5 active filter machines - to the order of at least $1000 per year.

I also recommend a machine with a separate and changable activated carbon filter. Activated carbon can last many months - or just a few weeks depending on what you are doing in your house (anyone who claims it last years is not exactly telling the truth: The carbon will last years; its ability to absorb things from the atmospshere will not).

5) When renting I cleaned the furnace ducts.

6) I purchased an older house that is not going to suffer from the modern problems caused by tyvek wrapping and other issues related to modern construction techniques. I have had an air leak test done, and sealed up the major air leaks. While not as good as "modern" construction - it is a lot better than most older houses.

7) This house has hot water heat; and I removed all the carpeting the day I closed on the house.

Overall, this is a "Allergy Profed House"


Mold can be a different issue - and more complex to solve.

The most important thing is to get proper treatment to control your allergies (as best as reasonable) - and to understand what allergies you have and learn to avoid them.

Perry

 

[lost on 5th]

it looks like you are making progress

to add to the collection of information you already have, this is a very good site for finding and resolving mold problems. it also has many helpful ideas for preventing future problems.

www.toxic-black-mold-info.com

a section of note:

"When mold grows within wall cavities (which it often does) the nearby drywall is usually infected as well. If toxic mold does become engrained in the drywall, it should be replaced (after the mold is cleaned up and the source of excessive moisture is resolved). "

-also-

this applies to your problems….

in addition to making sure there is adequate air change (ventilation) of rooms, making sure there is air movement within the wall construction usually is the best method for eliminating mold within the wall. Being by a beach, this is likely one of your problems. Moisture is getting trapped within the wall cavity, condensing and forming mold, which is now showing at wall openings (windows). There are several methods for venting the wall cavity, but that is up to the property owner…

if you can move to a new building… it may be worth your effort!

Good luck!!!

 

[movie zombie]

among my many allergies is mold and mildew. what follows is rather gross, so you are warned.

mold can actually get up into your sinuses and live there. it can take 6 months to get rid of the stuff. taking allergy medicine only alleviates the symptoms but does not get rid of the actual problem in your sinuses...which can be a mold has taken up home in there.

what to do? flush those sinuses with warm water...many use a salt water solution to do this.

good luck.

peace, movie zombie

 

[tawn]

They have agreed to move us to another one of the communities, but don''t seem to be in a hurry to get things moving. The house we own in Washington was completely allergy proofed for me. No carpet, central air with hepa filters, etc...and I was fine. We live right on the beach here...the bay out the back, and the pacific out the front. So, no central air because we get a good breeze and it doesn''t get super hot! They were also built in 1992...and there have been a lot of mildew mold problems, so I would assume that legally they would have some obligations!

We''re going to the Dr next week for a full check on our symptoms...and they better hurry up and move us! I''m starting to get really angry...

*Breathing deeply* and trying to restrain myself from going down and kicking some *ss!