Many inspectors as well as people suffering with mold problems assume that spores are what make people sick, but is it possible that mold odor alone without spores can cause health complaints such as but not limited to allergy, asthma, and more frequent colds?

I have done mold inspections since 2003 and have long suspected a direct and strong correlation between mold odor and building occupant health complaints. It seems that mold odor has more to do with health complaints than spore levels in many cases.

It is a well known fact that many manmade volatile organic compounds such as benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, and formaldehyde to name a few not only have scary names, but can have scary health effects and can contribute to indoor air quality problems such as sick building syndrome and other IAQ problems.

Mold odors are also made of volatile organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds produced by mold include chemicals similar to alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones and many more. When volatile organic compounds are produced by mold or bacteria we stop calling them volatile organic compounds and refer to them as microbial volatile organic compounds. (mVOCs).

Mold odors or mVOC’s are typically over looked as a source of health complaints by many mold inspectors who look for spores as the only source of potential health problems. Other inspectors are concerned about the health effects of toxins produced by toxic black mold. During many inspections because visible mold was not obvious and the lab report you receive states that spore levels indoors are low, inspectors will tell you that you do not have a mold problem, and that your health problems are not related to mold in your home. This inspector has investigated numerous cases where mold odors were produced inside AC units, behind wall paper, in crawl spaces, or inside walls in many such cases spores were trapped or simply not released by the mold and yet people became ill.

After years of noticing this correlation between the occurrence of mold odor and allergy and asthma like health complaints I started to find information on the internet to support these observations. Please note that the legal and health implications are powerful, even in the lack of elevated spore levels building occupants can still become ill from mold.

Samples of indoor odor can be taken for quantitative and qualitative analysis by accredited labs using proven and advanced methods of analysis, Prism Analytical labs AKA PATI is one of the few labs that specialize in not just voc analysis but also mVOC or microbial volatile compound analysis.
Do not rely on my observations, also see what academic and government mold experts say about this often overlooked issue. Do a search for mold odor and health for yourself and you will see that even if spore levels are low in your home there is no guarantee that you are free of mold problems.
But do not despair, there is hope, simply never rely on spore levels and lab tests alone, always hire an experienced inspector who does much more than take samples, he or she should know something about building construction or home inspections, AC systems, science, indoor air quality, and industrial hygiene. The mold inspector must do a very detailed investigation using his or her knowledge and experience and should not just take a few samples.

http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com/
A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc.

And why is this 6) Use thermostat set to auto. Setting the thermostat to the on setting may be fine in dry areas but can cause problems in humid climates.
so?

Often people who live in ocean front condos have serious mold problems that result from simple mistakes.

THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS

First condensation streams down the AC registers, or black mold such as cladosporium cladosporium or more often cladosporium spherisperium starts to grow on the AC register. In other cases white or greenish white mold spots start on clothes and leather objects in the closet. Some old timers call this harmless mildew, this is when people thought DDT, PBC, and lead paint were halmless. It is not mildew, nor is it harmless, it is a few hardy allergy causing species of aspergillus or penicillium.

Next thing you know the client returns from up north after being away 6 months only to find that the black spots & condensation on the registers is worse, and the white spots have spread to other items it specializes in growing on such as furniture, wicker items, luggage and lamp shades. The occupants find nearly invisible mold all over the place. 90% of it they never see because it is like powder.

This stuff is much harder to get rid of than stachybotrys (toxic Black mold) because stachybotrys is easier to see and stays near water, this stuff is like a light powering of dust and is almost invisible to the un trained eye, it spreads out hiding in every room of the property.

Below are a few basic tips on how to prevent this humidity related mold nightmare from occurring.

I just took it out of our mold inspection report program and revised it slightly. For inspectors a demo of the report software can be found at freemoldinspectionreporting.com

HUMIDITY CONTROL RECOMMENDATIONS

The fact that you have lots of mold of the genera Cladosporium on your AC registers indicated periodic high humidity, this tells the inspector that you sometimes have high humidity. In a seasonal ocean front property excess humidity can get way out of hand very fast and result in much or all of your property being covered in humidity loving molds.

1) Lowering the indoor humidity with a proper working AC is often the best cure, if you have humidity problems have your AC checked to see if it is working properly.

2) Have your AC person check for holes in the AC closet, even small holes of an inch or so at the AC closet walls and ceilings can allow the AC to pull humid air from inside the AC closet walls or attic.

3) A dehumidifier is often helpful as the ultimate root of the problem is usually periodic high humidity.

4) Keeps doors and windows tightly closed when not in use. Air infiltration through the sliding glass doors and windows in breezy humid ocean front areas does result if serious humidity and mold problems.
This was not occurring at the time of your inspection thus was not a problem at all. If your doors or windows ever start leaking air, repair or replace them asap. Ocean front air leaks can be detected by listening for air and feeling for air leaks with hands a few inches from the doors when the doors are closed tight and locked.

5) Use bathroom vent fan after each shower till bathroom air looks & feels free of steam and condensation.

6) Use thermostat set to auto. Setting the thermostat to the on setting may be fine in dry areas but can cause problems in humid climates.

7) Make sure a humidistat is installed and set it at 60%RH when you are away and set it to on when you are home. If someone tells you to set it at 65% do not listen to them ever, this is a old standard that caused lots of trouble.

8)Metal AC registers directed towards walls and ceilings at close range may cool these surfaces to dew point and cause condensation and mold. Redirect register louvers that are directed towards walls or ceilings.

My name is Daryl I am with A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc. I have conducted home inspection in Palm Beach County for 10 years, and mold inspections all over Florida but mostly South Florida for 5 years.

You should consider getting a report as well as someting in writing from a doctor and a lawyer and give it to the management for the building.

Consider having any water damaged or humidity prone areas of your property inspected. In reguard to your AC have your blower fan, the back side of the coils, the supply plenum and ducts etc inspected by a mold inspector who is an industrial hygienist, or an amiaq.org certified indoor environmentalist, or certified indoor environmental consultant. They should properly diagnoses the conditions, document your problems, includes detailed digital photos etc, and explains exactly why you have mold in your AC, and what must be done to correct the problem.

A report indicating the types of mold you have is may not be adaquate.

The landlord may get concerned when he sees a legally defensible document disclosing mold problems at his property If the report shows what can be done to correct the problem.

But a report alone may not be adequate, show the report to an allergy doctor and get something from your allergy doctor stating that your conditions appear to be related to mold in your property. Also send the report to an attorney, pay $150.00 to $300.00 and have the attorney prepare a letter requesting that repairs be made. Give the landlord reasonable time to comply, 2 or 4 weeks for example. If the situation is not corrected then you have a better chance of breaking you lease.

Of course giving advice is easy; getting it to work is the hard part. Your landlord may just get mad and kick you out, I have seen this happen a few times as well, so be tactful.

Another problems is that lots of times mold inspectors do not know how to diagnose a mold problem especially in an AC unit, most just know how to take samples and send them to the lab and collect money. Not much on thinking, researching, or inspecting. We inspectors are not regulated in any way in this state. Many know no more about why some AC units get moldy, and how to advice correction than the man on the moon.

99% of the time your AC is moldy because it is now, or has in the past, pulled in humidity as a moisture source and dust as a food source via some hole in the AC closet wall, return plenum, or AC enclosure itself. This is likely if the unit is in the garage or attic. Have the AC cleaned via NADCA standards and seal any of the above mentioned entrainment pathways holes. & install a good filter. The ducts may need cleaning and encapsulation or replacement. Another warning, lots of times people get more sick after the ducts are cleaned, the reason is cleaning stirs up dust & mold in the ducts.

Very important to use your bathroom ceiling vent fans and also set the AC thermostat to the auto setting, never the on setting in Florida, this will control humidity that feeds AC mold.

Good luck

Daryl Watters,

We have recently added some more devastating true life tragedies from other mold victim’s. I invite you all to read how these innocent people are literally fighting for their lives. Feel free to ask question’s, send them messages with words of hope and encouragement. Join in on our quest in fighting for our rights as victim’s that have been struck by these devastating illnesses caused by mold in our homes, schools, or workplaces. Please post your stories here on this site, speak out. We need to be a voice, a voice for the ones that can’t fight this battle or have given up the fight.