|
What
is Stachybotrys?
Is
Your Mold Stachybotrys?
Stachybotrys
is a black mold, but not the only black mold. So many
calls have come in from anxious parents, worried about
what they heard on television about Stachybotrys,
a relatively common black mold.
Is your black mold Stachybotrys?
Until you know the answer to that question, keep children
away from the area.
Keep children away from moldy places in general.
Microscope examination means looking for mold spores,
as well as other mold parts.
What are mold spores and colonies?
Spores are tiny reproductive bodies that are produced
by the mold. Spores float away in the air and eventually
land on a surface. If they find food (wood, paper,
fabric, etc.) and water (moisture in the air is enough),
they begin to grow branch-like structures called "hyphae"
(pronounced "high'-phee"). After they grow
and divide, there are finally enough of them to be
visible to the naked eye. This mass is called a "colony,"
which takes about a week to mature. The black mold
you see is made up of colonies. Mold colonies could
be white, green, pink, orange, black, etc. Stachybotrys
happens to produce black colonies, as do some other
common molds. The hyphae soon produce more spores,
the spores float away, find food and water, and the
process starts again. If no food or water is found,
the spores can remain in a dormant state for many
years until conditions change. Then they start growing
again. This is why just drying out an area or a carpet
doesn't solve the problem. The contaminated material
must be removed, or spores will eventually start to
grow again. Stachybotrys spores and colonies One good
thing about Stachybotrys spores is that they tend
to be sticky, so they don't float off into the air
as readily as some other types of mold, such as Aspergillus,
Penicillium, Cladosporium, etc.
Stachybotrys can be found growing on surfaces such
as wallboard (gypsum board), damp cardboard, under
sink cabinets where there is chronic leaking, in areas
that were flooded but not properly cleaned up. If
you see dark mold growing at the bottom of the walls
in a basement or other damp area, have it checked
for Stachybotrys or other mold.
Stachybotrys grows in areas of leaks - such as roof
leaks, plumbing leaks, water intrusion into basements,
sink cabinets where plumbing has been leaking, and
so on.
Health Concerns with Stachybotrys
Is there a genuine concern here, or is it, as one
health department official called it, a "media
event"?
Should parents seek identification of the black mold
and then, if positive, hire a professional mold remediation
company to clean it up?
What if the parents don't have the thousands of dollars
such a company might charge?
There is no easy answer. Where children are concerned,
no one wants to stick their neck out. Better to err
on the side of caution. There have been stories of
health problems that may be related to severe Stachybotrys
contamination at homes. Several infants had pulmonary
hemorrhages, one died. There is no proof that Stachybotrys
was the cause, though suspicion exists. Other factors
were also present that could have accounted for the
illnesses in the babies.
Clean-up Protocol
Many City Health Departments, working with other agencies,
started to draft guidelines for cleanup of Stachybotrys.
By the time the guidelines were finalized, the title
had been changed from Stachybotrys cleanup to mold
remediation in general. Not only Stachybotrys but
other types of potentially harmful molds need to be
handled very carefully when present in large numbers.
The New York City Health Department guidelines are
accessible on the Internet. See Guidelines on Assessment
and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments, :
go to
www.nyc.gov
and choose City Agencies at the top of the page. Then
click on the "Jump to" box at the top and
choose Health. Finally, do a search on "aspergillus
remediation." In the top choice, you should recognize
the correct URL.
For families who must do their own clean-up, the following
suggestions are offered:
Determine and correct the cause of the mold contamination.
If not corrected, mold will grow again. (Note: On
my basement mold evaluations, I present alternatives
of controlling the mold or solving the mold problem.
The latter could involve very costly waterproofing
in a damp basement.)
Procure protective clothing and a respirator. Make
sure you won't be stirring up lead dust or asbestos
fibers before you start. If you are, deal with them
first. A HEPA Vacuum is recommended.
Isolate the contaminated area so that mold is not
tracked throughout the house.
Get good cross-ventilation going, with an exhaust
fan drawing from the contaminated area and blowing
air out a nearby window. You don't want to draw contaminated
air through the house.
Put a drop cloth on the floor.
Bag contaminated materials in plastic trash bags.
Vacuum moldy surfaces with the HEPA Vac.
Wipe down the surfaces with a 30% bleach solution.
Do not soak the surfaces. 20 minutes later, wipe surfaces
down again with a fresh 30% bleach solution. After
surfaces are dry, coat the surfaces with a sealant.
Other topics may be involved, as noted above, such
as controlling mold in a damp basement, waterproofing,
issues relating to lead or asbestos, ductwork, etc.
|
