Mold Spores and HEPA Air Scrubbers 04/10/2010
 (Pictured at left is a HEPA Air Scrubber.) Mold is all around us. It can be found wherever there is moisture, oxygen, warmth and something to feed on. It’s in our gardens and in our yards and plays an important role in nature. It should not, however, be thriving and growing in our homes. In order to reproduce, mold needs moist, warm areas where there are wet cellulose materials they can feed on such as wood, ceiling tiles, and/or drywall. When water is left to sit, for even 24 hours, common molds can begin to grow. If water continues to sit and areas become completely saturated, a more lethal mold, Stachybotrys, can begin to grow. As mold grows, part of its reproduction system is to release spores into the air which float around until they come into contact with other surfaces. If the surface is right, spores germinate into new mold growth which in turn produces more spores. The two primary dangers linked with mold are destruction of materials (such as the sheathing of your home, insulation and drywall) and allergic reactions. Mold lives off of the surface it grows on, and if mold infects wood or fabric for long enough it will destroy parts of that material. A large amount of mold will also release countless spores into the air, which can cause allergic reactions in susceptible people. If you have mold within the walls of your home, it is imperative that you have it PROFESSIONALLY REMOVED because of the millions of invisible mold spores that are disturbed and released into the air when the wall is removed or replaced. We had Hardy Environmental provide our mold remediation. Since we were occupying our home when the remediation was occurring, we usually had two-to-three HEPA Air Scrubbers going at the same time – many ran through the night. HEPA filters are the only type of filter recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control as effective for capturing these microscopic spores. HEPA filtered Portable Air Scrubbers (pictured above) are designed to capture a wide range of particles, (mold spores, etc.) and certified to remove 99.97% that are 0.3 microns and larger from the air. NOTE: Read “Mold – A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home” (http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html) Molds come in at least a thousand different varieties, but only a few are the offenders that invade our homes. (See Kathy’s Blog dated March 22, 2010). The most dangerous mold strain is stachybotrys (pronounced Stack-ee-BOT-ris). This black fungus releases toxic, microscopic spores that cause the worst symptoms many of which are usually irreversible. NOTE: This eHow article shows how professionals approach mold remediation. http://www.ehow.com/how_2059114_remove-mold-drywall.html CommentsLeave a Reply |  Kathryn M. Barto AuthorHi! ArchivesOctober 2010 Categories |
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