The fungus, aspergillus, produces aflatoxin; a known poison and carcinogen. Bur before cancer has time to proliferate; the poison takes its toll on the victims. Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include lethargy, loss of appetite, yellowish eyes and gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea. This is the same mold that is often found in people’s homes caused from water damage, making them sick, as well.

The 19 varieties of dog and cat food recalled this week were made by Diamond Pet Foods and sold in 23 other states and under the brand names Diamond, Country Value and Professional. The recalled batches have date codes of March 1, 2007, through June 21, 2007, and were made at the company’s plant in Gaston, S.C.

The federal Food and Drug Administration and South Carolina Agriculture Department are investigating the plant, state Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers said.

South Carolina State Veterinarian Tony Caver said that state has five presumed cases linked to aflatoxin - three fatal. One of the deaths was of Scott Brown’s yellow Labrador, Lacy, was the first presumed case in the state.

Really, it’s amazing how fast Lacy went from doing OK to crashing, said veterinarian Eric Rundlett, who works at Wateree Animal Hospital in Camden. They can be on it a couple of weeks or a month, and not show any signs. … We’re not really sure how long it takes to build up.

Seven dogs from the Rochester, N.Y., area were being treated for liver disease and failure at Cornell University Hospital for Animals after eating contaminated food, said university spokeswoman Sabina Lee. An area veterinarian discovered the link after three dogs died in the area, she said.

The pet food was distributed to stores in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont, and Virginia.

Consumers are urged to take unopened containers back to the store where they purchased it for a refund.

Anonymous – Camden, MA

Melinda – Anderson, SC

Monday December 14, 2009

Hey there Melinda…

Sorry to hear of your troubles with what sounds to be a very strong mold possibility.  Yes there is a mold kit out there you can purchase.  The one that I used in the past was from Pro-Lab.  They are not expensive either.  It cost me a few years ago, about $15.  They probably cost between $15 to $25 now.  The process takes about 2 days.  It’s pretty cool because it lets you test in several different ways, such as testing the air, and visually like on a petri dish.  Sometimes they could be a little difficult to read.  You might want to consider calling a professional Mold Company to come out and check out your place.  Many places will come out and inspect your area as little or no cost to you.  They will answer any questions you may have regarding mold, what symptoms they cause, and especially the long term effects of mold exposure.  Mold doesn’t always have to have water to grow, sometimes it can be just slight moisture, but because of the combination of dirty environment, mold can still form.  When I say dirty environment, I mean things such as old wood, dirt in crevices that have been there for a long time mixed with tiny bits of food that have fallen through, and over the long years have hardened into the floors or walls.  Anyway, the symptoms you describe are similar to ones caused by mold, such as stachybotrys or penicillium.  I know because I went through the same thing many years ago.  I am no doctor, but for your own sake, your family, and children, if you have any, call a professional and get your place inspected ASAP!

J. Candice – Brewton, GA

Monday December 14, 2009

Two words… Executive Restoration

Hey Melinda, I noticed you are in South Carolina, bordering close to North Carolina.  I am unsure if Executive Restoration serves your area, but you should give them a try.  They were on Fox News not too long ago, and they seemed very knowledgeable and professional. www.executiverestoration.com I think they might be able to help you. Good luck!

Big Mike – Charlotte, NC

Monday December 14, 2009

Can Mold Grow in my Backpack?

Can mold grow in my backpack?  I put my lunch in my backpack and carry it around with me all day.  I have 4 classes at the college and a part time job.  Sometimes the food spills out and I clean it up best as I can.  After some time, I see there are greenish grey stains inside the fabric of my bag.  Is this mold?  If so, how harmful can this be?  I put the backpack into the washer, with bleach, but the color discoloration is still there. Should I just through my bag away and get a new one?

Student by Day – Danville, TN

Monday December 14, 2009

This is for Student by Day…

Throw it out!  It’s moldy, what do you want with it anyway??!  I would not even mess with it, just throw the thing OUT!

Simple is the Answer  – Pine Hill, GA

Monday December 14, 2009

Hey there Student by Day,

Clean the food out, scrap out any leftovers, boil some hot water and pour it over the moldy areas.  Use soap and non bleach, because bleach damages the fabric or nylon, dry it out in the sun under lots of UV rays, expect some stains to remain, but it should be safe.

Kay – Albany, GA

Monday December 14, 2009

Keeping Clean is an Absolute Necessity

I am a germ-a-phobic, did I spell that right?  Anyway, I know many people who have gotten sick, vomiting, diarrhea, the works from ingesting things such as moldy foods or touching mildew and not washing up afterwards, and ingesting it.  Oh my gosh, especially in children.  If you guys have children, you have to be extra clean to pretend health problems for your children in the future.  Its so important to keep clean.

Here are some tips of keeping clean in your home:

Mildew is caused by mold, which are plants that require moisture and warm temperatures to grow. Mold develops on non-synthetic fabric, wood and paper. Where you find mold, you’ll usually find mildew. In home, this usually occurs in damp, warm areas with poor light and poor air circulation. Closets, cellars and bathrooms are the usual culprits.

Although mildew removers don’t work on paper and fabrics, mildew on a hard surface can be eliminated by spraying a mildew remover solution onto it. Bleach solutions effectively kill mold and mildew as well.

Do your research people.  Keep any place where mildew is likely to grow–such as a closet or bathroom–as clean as possible. Eliminate dampness by heating the room for a little while; then open doors and windows, or use air conditioners and dehumidifiers to dry the air or cool it down so that the moisture is removed. Ventilate closed off or poorly ventilated spaces by opening doors and windows and using electric or exhaust fans (in closets, make sure clothes are dry and hang them loosely to allow air to circulate around them). Inhaling or ingesting mildew can trigger asthma or allergies (even in people who have no allergies, if the concentration of mildew and mold is high enough). For people who have chronic lung or immune system problems, mildew and mold can increase the likelihood for fever, infections and pneumonia-like symptoms.

Guys, again, I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your area clean.  Cleanliness equals Health..thats the truth!  Melinda, this applies to you too.  This will help keep those symptoms at bay!

W. Hymalian – Orlando, FL

Tuesday December 15, 2009

The Article that Scared Me…

I just read an article in USA WEEKEND announcing a serious Mold Health Alert.  It’s about a Texas woman named Melinda Ballard, her 3 year old son, Reese, who was on daily medication to treat scarred, asthmatic lungs, her husband, Ron, who has lost his memory AND his job, and their 11,500 square foot home.  They had a never battle with their insurance company.  The problem?  Household mold.

The family has since then moved out of the house and is living out of their suitcase down the street.  Though the house has been abandoned, they still have to check in on the air conditioning of the house once a week, with a HEPA respirator of course.  That’s the only thing keeping the mold at bay.  The house somehow ended up having Stachybotrys. Melinda truly believes that her child or husband would have died if providence had not intervened.  Back in 1998 their house’s copper plumbing sprang a series of leaks.  By December, they started to notice the hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms beginning to warp.  By March of 1999, the family, as well as the groundskeeper and nanny, were suffering from headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, then respiratory and sinus problems.  And this is not your ordinary runny noses, but bloody runny noses.

While in Austin one day, Melinda ran met Bill Holder, an indoor air quality consultant. After running a test, they were found to have level 4 Stachybotrys, in which the family had to evacuate the house immediately.

Till today, they are still fighting with their insurance company, and even more so with their health due to the Stachybotrys.  This article really opened my mind to how serious mold can be. I sure hope the insurance will finally step up and help this family poor family out!

D. Lenorad  – Calvin, TX

Tuesday December 15, 2009

How to Protect your Home and Yourself…

Here are some vital tips on how to protect yourself and your home from bad mold.

• Keep water out. Fix any leaks within 24 hours.
• Be on the lookout for discoloration of walls, ceiling, or anything made of wood or paper. Mold growth can be almost any color: white, black, green, fluorescent.
• Look behind cabinets or pictures on cold outside walls, where condensation can occur. Keep furniture away from outside walls.
• Check around air handling units (air conditioners, furnaces) for stagnant water. Keep these units serviced with regular cleaning of ducts and air filters.
• Be aware of odors. Mildew has been described as pungent, or “aromatic.”
• Know the symptoms of mold-related illness, which can range from chronic sinus infections and asthma to nosebleeds, extreme fatigue, severe headaches, dizziness, rashes and central nervous system problems. Do the symptoms get better when you go on vacation and worse when you come home?
• To get your house checked for mold!

This really helps.  I have come across a place, and by using these simple tips, have been able to detect and nip mold in the butt before it worsened.  There is nothing worse than feeling sick, fatigue, and not know why.

Jennifer G.  – Crystal Lake, FL

Tuesday December 15, 2009

More to the Melinda Ballard Story too…

Looking further into the type of mold from Melinda’s story, I found this out. Stachybotrys atra is an especially lethal mold. It’s part of a family of molds (others are Memnoniella and Aspergillus versicolor) that produce airborne toxins, called mycotoxins, that can cause serious breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flulike symptoms, and bleeding in the lungs. In 1996 and 1999 studies by Eckardt Johanning, M.D., of the Eastern New York Occupational and Environmental Health Center, people with prolonged exposure to mycotoxins from Stachybotrys and other fungi experienced chronic fatigue, loss of balance, irritability, memory loss and difficulty speaking. “These were college graduates who had been functioning at a high level, and now they can’t,” Johanning says.

Fortunately, Stachybotrys isn’t found in homes as often as milder molds such as Cladosporium, Penicillium and Alternaria. Those are common, especially in damp states such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Oregon. Yet even they can cause health problems, including chronic sinus and respiratory infections and asthma. A 1999 Mayo Clinic study pegged nearly all the chronic sinus infections afflicting 37 million Americans to molds. Recent studies also have linked molds to the tripling of the asthma rate over the past 20 years.

How common are these molds? A 1994 Harvard University School of Public Health study of 10,000 homes in the United States and Canada found half had “conditions of water damage and mold associated with a 50 to 100% increase in respiratory symptoms,” says Harvard’s Jack Spengler.

When molds grow, it’s usually in damp places, behind walls and under floors, above ceiling tiles or behind shower walls — wherever there are wet cellulose materials they can feed on, such as wood, ceiling tiles, plasterboard, or accumulations of organic material inside air-conditioning and heating systems. Water is the key. Without it, molds can’t get started, much less spread. But when water is left to sit for even 24 hours, common molds can take hold. If water continues to sit and areas become completely saturated, that’s when a more lethal mold, such as Stachybotrys, can move in.

In Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in the mid-1980s, thousands of middle-income families fell ill when their homes developed mold problems. This year in New York City, 125 families at Henry Phipps Plaza South filed an $8 billion mold lawsuit against their landlord. And four years ago in Cleveland, Stachybotrys growth from unrepaired storm damage was suspected of causing pulmonary hemorrhage in 14 children, killing two.

Again, everyone should be more aware of these hidden dangers.  It has definitely opened my eyes more.  Take care y’all.

D. Lenorad  – Calvin, TX

Tuesday December 15, 2009

Concerned Mother of Three

I was reading the Melinda Ballard article, and man oh man did that put a fright in me.  Thank you for posting that D. Lenorad.  I use to think that mold only happened in old homes.  Apparently, NOT AT ALL.  I did some research after reading your article and found out that new houses are more prone to mold problems than older houses. Really, a bad leak in any house anywhere can cause mold if its not taken care of right away.

Get this, the reason why new homes are prone to mold is because the modern home design, including materials used, such as fake stucco (great mold food when wet), the way insulation can trap moisture behind walls, and the fact that today’s homes, like office buildings, are more airtight, with air conditioning and heating systems recirculating contaminated air.  Crazy isn’t it?  This means families can go for months, and even years, without knowing where their symptoms are coming from.  Now that is extremely scary.

What is even crazier is in Melinda’s case, lets say they were to tear down the house. They couldn’t even do that until the house has been treated for mold first.  NO ONE will touch it until the men in moon suits have come out to carry the danger away.  Its too much of a health  hazard.  That’s how serious it can be.  In this case, it’s the only safe way to get rid of it, and that would be calling in the professionals, no doubt.

Thanks for sharing your stories people.

Ms. Mom  – Apopka, FL

Tuesday December 15, 2009

Summing It All Up

Here is another sum up of an article I read from the NCMA.  The fear of mold and mildew has taken on a new life creating havoc not only in the building industry, but also in the insurance industry, real estate sales, the court systems of the nation, and the world of medical science. For example, mold was at the center of a criminal investigation of child endangerment charges in Texas against an insurance company for improper handling of a water damage claim resulting in a house that is now uninhabitable and a family complaining of coughing up blood and suffering from a cognitive dysfunction.  The family alleges that neither the insurance company nor the company’s expert informed them that the home contained the deadly mold until their health was irreversibly damaged. In other parts of the country, real estate agents fear that mold will be a “deal-breaker” causing potential buyers to walk away from a house because mold has been discovered.

In an article written for Claims Magazine, authors Everette L. Herndon, Jr. and Chin S. Yang, tell us, “The consensus of opinion from the EPA, FEMA, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, mycologists and microbiologists is that mold may start to grow and spread within 24 to 48 hours in structures damaged by water. Mold can grow exponentially, given the right conditions of temperature, moisture and food sources, such as sheetrock.”  What no one in the concrete masonry industry should doubt is that mold can and does start to grow on the surface of concrete masonry products. However, once it has consumed whatever food source was present on the surface, it can go no further. Simply put, concrete masonry does not provide a food source for mold. Further, mold can be cleaned from its surface, an option not available to other construction materials. Note, however, in the quote from authors Herndon and Yang from Claims Magazine who specifically identify “sheetrock” as a food source for mold. Mold settles on and quickly permeates “sheetrock” or gypsum walls requiring that the entire wall be torn out and replaced. Mold and mildew is not a new subject. It was discussed at length in chapters thirteen and fourteen of the book of Leviticus where priests called for houses made of plaster and wood infected with mold be torn down and the debris taken to an unclean place outside the city. In more recent history, articles and studies about mold began appearing in the late 1970s. A 1986 report written by W. A. Croft, who studied a family in Chicago, stated that mold “could be commonly found in homes with water damage,” and “could grow undetected behind walls and could grow profusely on sheetrock.”

You guys have to definitely do your research out there.

D. Lenorad – Calvin, TX

Tuesday December 15, 2009

Picture Grotesque

Has anyone seen any photos of mold lately?  It’s more than PRETTY  BAD, its out right disgusting!  The way it forms in circular patches on the walls, grey, greenish, and black looking.  Spots everywhere!  I can’t imagine what it could smell like.  It gives me the itchies!  Try googling mold photos online.  You will be pretty grossed out.  Those are the ones with obvious signs, imagine all the time in  between before those visual signs were made available to you.  All that rotting danger lurking in the air and in the walls, and you been inhaling it like no tomorrow.  Disturbing isn’t it?

Jimmy – Nowhere Land, USA

The alfalfa we grew was harvested just before it began to flower.  To prevent white mold from growing, it was very important to cut the hay when it was not forecasted to rain.  Ideally, hay should be baled when dry, baling hay while it’s moist can cause certain types of mold to grow.  The three main groups of fungi that start to grow on hay in storage are Aspergillis, Fusarium, and Penicillium.  The type of mold I recall seeing on hay was white in color.

Feeding moldy hay to animals can cause serious health issues for the animal.  Horses can develop colic and a respiratory condition called COPD (also known as heaves).  If you are purchasing hay for your livestock, there are several things you can look for to ensure you are buying quality hays.  First, the appearance of the hay should by leafy and not contain a lot of stalks, weeds or branches.  Next is the color of the hay, it should be green.  Green hay contains a lot of nutrients essential to your animal’s health.  Last is its smell.  Alfalfa has a wonderful sweet smell.  If you take a whiff of the hay and start to cough or sneeze, chances are your animal will react the same way.  If you need assistance determining what type of mold you have in your hay, contact Executive Restoration at (704) 545-0098 or visit us online at www.gotmoldinnorthcarolina.com

Many people are allergic to their microscopic spores that can’t be seen with the human eye.  People suffering with “hay fever” are sensitive to pollens released by plants in the spring or summer.  However, some people who sniffle and sneeze in the fall or winter may be allergic to mold spores.

A mushroom is usually shaped like an umbrella and is composed of fungal filaments that combine to form a fruiting body.  The fruiting body works the same as the fruit of a plant.  Inside the fruiting body spores are produced.  Spores in new fungi serve the same function as seeds in plants.  Fungi produce enormous amounts of spores.  One single field mushroom has the potential to produce two billion spores and some fungi can release twenty million spores a minute.  Most spores are sterile and never germinate.  If they did, the earth would be covered in fungi and not a very nice place to live.  Many people work in buildings that are considered “sick”.  Have you ever entered a building only to begin sneezing non-stop.  Perhaps you are allergic to work but the most likely reason is that the building has some underlying issue with mold or mold spores.  Maybe you have this reaction when you enter your home.  Many homes today are airtight and do not allow for proper ventilation so dangerous mold can form causing many health problems.

Only an inspection by a certified mold inspector can determine if you have an issue within a dwelling.  Contact the professionals at Executive Restoration (704-545-0098) today to schedule a mold inspection.

We are pleased to announce that Executive Restoration, LLC was featured on Fox News of Charlotte, North Carolina, a major News Television and Web News authority. In this interview, Water & Mold Damage was the main focus and who better to choose to ask questions about these subjects, than our own President David Snell. With 22 Years experience and certifications such as Certified Mold Inspector for both Commercial and Residential properties and Certified Mold Remediator for both Commercial and Residential properties, David Snell is a leader in Mold and Water Damage awareness.

The story named “Wet Weather & Mold Issues” was created to buzz the dangers of allowing Water Issues to sit creating Mold types that could be severely harmful to a person’s health.

As Quoted;
Mold is everywhere in Charlotte. The damp spring weather causes mold to grow at remarkable rates. As FOX Charlotte’s Derek James reports, it can quickly damage your home and your health.
– Derek James ; Fox News Charlotte.

Copy and Paste this into your Browser window then Press enter to watch video!

http://www.myfoxcharlotte.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=BA388BE2E219CA1C3CA13209F123B29D?contentId=8392931&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Carpets collect dust and particles that filter through the air and eventually settle, and moisture is nearly impossible to totally remove from their thick, absorbent fibers. As we’ve said before, these particles combine with that moisture (which is already prevalent in basements) to form mold. With every step, your kicking that carpet mold up into the air where it can settle on clothing, furniture and in your lungs.

If you need your own private hideaway, consider a nice linoleum or tile floor where dust particles and moisture can easily be seen and cleaned away. If you’re already suffering from a moldy basement carpet, call the experts to take your den to the cleaners.

www.executiverestoration.com

www.er911.net

(704) 545 - 0098

Air filters run through your air ducts and keep harmful allergens and mold spores from reaching the air you breath. But, if your filter is old or damaged, you might be spreading all kinds of pollutants into the air every time you crank up the A/C or heat. Also, it’s important that your duct systems be insulated whenever they pass through the extremities of the house (like basements, crawlspaces and attics). This will keep moisture from accumulating and mixing with the dust and particles in the air to form…you guessed it…mold.

www.executiverestoration.com

www.er911.net

(704) 545 - 0098