Respiratory Infections
 
Apartment Mold-Respiratory Infections
Also read:  Landlord Mold    Landlord Legal Liability   Landlord-Tenant Mold   Landlord Q & A

    Q. Our ceiling in our bathroom has been leaking for years from the roof. The tiles had come up from all the water on the floor, we scraped off the linoleum tiles down to the wood to replace, but had to wait for them to fix our roof because of the water continuing to come through onto the floor. While this was going on, due to the floor wood being exposed to the water from the ceiling, a MUSHROOM grew out of the floor wood! Have you ever heard of this?  Is this a fungus, mold, and caused from the water from the ceiling and how do I get rid of it? Most importantly, is it dangerous for my children to breath in this room? [July 30, 2004]
        A. Mold mushrooms are a big clue to you that you are living in danger. Living in a home with water damage means you are living in a home which probably has, as a result of the water leaks, mold growth damage, often hidden INSIDE walls, ceilings, floors, attic, basement, crawl space, and heating/cooling equipment and ducts. Living in a moldy house can cause severe health problems---visit mold health. Your first step should be to mold test your entire house to determine the extent of possible mold cross-contamination.  Your first and most affordable mold investigative step to learn the severity and the extent of the possible mold infestation is to use do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store [with self observation of results over a 5 to 7 day time period, or send in for mold lab analysis] to mold test the air of each room, attic, basement, crawl space, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test which you should also do. If you see any visible mold growth, from each moldy area, scrape some of the mold particles into a separate mold test kit per testing location for observation over a 5 to 7 day time period, and/or for mold lab analysis. When scraping mold into a test kit, you would be wise to use a breathing air respirator [Home Depot or Lowe’s or a safety store] so that you don’t breathe in extra mold spores that you put into the air by scraping some mold-like substances into each mold test kit.   The mold test kits come with detailed use instructions to make your tests informative and helpful in mold problem diagnosis.  Learn how to do your own, self-observation analysis of mold test kits results at Mold Test Results. You can also read online our copyrighted form “Self-Analysis & Interpretation of Visible Mold Growth in Do-It-Yourself Mold Test kits.”   Learn the steps recommended for safe and effective mold remediation and mold abatement.  In view of the existence of serious water damage problems and visible mold growth in your home, and to protect yourselves and your children against likely mold health problems, consider moving immediately and temporarily to a mold-safe place to live until your home has been completely mold inspected, tested, remediated, and the house passes clearance tests---whether do it yourself mold test kits or hiring a Certified Mold Inspector.

                          Mold Apartment
 
Apartment Mold; Sinus Infections; and Respiratory Infections
Also read: Mold Legal Form and Landlord Legal Liability for Mold Infestation

Q. I recently moved out of an apartment building that I had lived in for approximately 3-4 years. It seems that after living there for 6 months or so, I started developing sinus infections and upper respiratory infections which would lead into bronchitis and pneumonia. I never thought that it was where I lived. I have allergies and I unfortunately smoke, so I blamed myself. But the past two years I have been having difficulty thinking, remembering, and even speaking. I'm turning 31 years old at the end of this month and don't believe it's from age. When I moved into this apartment, it was remodeled and new carpeting was put down in the bedroom and the living room. However, about a year later, the bedroom carpet started developing black spots, I thought at the time mold. But it had absolutely no odor when I smelled it. Once the black spots were in the light of the sun for so long, they faded, almost bleaching circles EVERYWHERE. The bedroom was the worse place for me to sleep. I just thought that the building was built in 1960 and it probably was damp. And I've always had one allergy or another, just not to dust and mold. Well, about 1 1/2 years ago is when my memory started to go. I would black out, I couldn't concentrate long enough to tie my shoes, so I went to a psychologist and a psychiatrist, thinking I was psychotic over some instances. I was diagnosed, but no medicine worked.  So I was at a loss. My fear is my health, however, I gave birth to my daughter at the end of February. She was at the apartment with me for five weeks before we moved from there. I had to get her out because I knew there was something wrong. I'm in fear for her health. At the time that I moved, I was experiencing severe headaches, a dusty fumey smell that I thought was a gas leak at one point. I would sleep like I was drugged. I couldn't breathe well, and plus my memory problems, and other things I just can't think of. My questions are: If this is from Stachy, now that I'm gone from there, will my memory still get worse? or will it just stay as it is? Also, do you think my daughter will have severe damage of any sort from living there for 5 weeks? And what should I do now?

A. There is very little research on the lingering health effects of prior exposure to mold infestation. You were very wise to move from that mold hell for the well-being of you and your child. You and your child should be examined by a pulmonary physician who can do diagnostic testing like lung biopsy, lung x-ray, and mold antibody blood testing. You can check with an ear-nose-throat specialist to test for mold growth inside your and your child's nasal cavities and sinus cavities. You can check with a neurologist as to possible brain damage. The brain problems you have suffered are typical symptoms of  the deadly Stachybotrys mold which destroys brain tissue. Learn all about available mold medical diagnostic and treatment procedures in the in depth book Mold Health Guide.

June 10, 2003

Apartment mold growing in Ft. Worth, Texas.