The subject of black mold gathered a lot of attention in the late 1990’s. Up to that time, little attention had been given to this topic and there were few government regulations regarding black mold.
According to the US EPA from their on-line course (http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/index.html), molds are organisms that may be found indoors and outdoors. They are part of the natural environment and play an important role in the environment by breaking down and digesting organic material, such as dead leaves. Also called fungi or mildew, molds are neither plants nor animals; they are part of the kingdom Fungi.
Evidence of mold in the home can be either visual or by odor, and evidence of an indoor mold problem typically starts with a water leak. Normally, water or some form of moisture entering into the interior of your house is necessary for mold to grow. Evidence of the water leak can range from water stains on ceilings or walls, to wet floor surfaces. The presence of a constant source of moisture provides the necessary environment for mold to grow. It is also important to n...
The Black Death (also called the "plague" or the "pestilence", the bacteria that causes it is Yersinia Pestis) was a devastating pandemic causing the death of over one-third of Europe's population in its major wave of 1348-1349. Yersinia Pestis had two major strains: the first, the Bubonic form, was carried by fleas on rodents and caused swelling of the lymph nodes, or "buboes", and lesions under the skin, with a fifty-percent mortality rate; the second, the pneumonic form, was airborne after the bacteria had mutated and caused fluids to build up in the lungs and other areas, causing suffocation and a seventy-percent mortality rate.
In the years 1331 to 1350 all of Europe broke out in an epidemic, called the Black Death. This terrible sickness murdered about one third of all the people in Europe, it spread, and killed quickly. People’s lives were changed drastically; they were scared to go outside in fear of catching the gross disease. The Black Death spread rapidly through Europe having significant impacts on society.
You won’t have to worry about mold or mildew growing in a room with this unit. It’s ideal for keeping it in large basements to prevent mold and mildew.
Mold is a group of fungus that are a decomposer in nature. They are basically a single celled organism with thousands of nuclei. They nearly have the same life cycle as fungi. They are made up of filaments, called hyphae.They can be found in shady, damp areas outdoors, like rotting logs, or any place with decomposing vegetation. There are also parasitic molds, that live off a host. . Mold can reproduce with itself, asexually, and with other molds, which would be sexual reproduction. They use single celled bodies, called spores, to do this. Mold can have aerial spores, or even spores in the water, from water molds. Bacteria can communicate with each other. Spores are extremely versatile, and can even go dormant, for up to 75 years, and then still germinate. The have receptors that can detect positive or negative chemicals. They can sense the environment, and make decisions. I think mold will be able to have the same social interactions, and be able to know where, and where not to go. A well studied mold is the slime mold, or Physarum polycephalum. This mold, like many other inhabits shady, moist areas, such as under decaying logs. It is usually yellow in color, and eats bacteria, fungal spores, and other microbes. To consume its food, it surrounds it, and uses enzymes to break it down. Since it consumes food like this, it is not harmful. As food starts to run out, it goes into its reproductive state. Physarum polycephalum can anticipate changes. Even though they do not have a brain, or central nervous system. It can anticipate change, when dealing with its environment. I always wonder if organisms like this can think at all. Also, if we were once like this mold, as we did start as small organisms. As we e...
molds to help cure some skin infections and rashes. It was in the late 1800's
I used the back room only for storage and was angered when I went in to search for an item, discovering that copious amounts of water had leaked and portions of the ceiling falling down. This revealed a black mold problem, that by all appearances, clearly existed before I moved in. In consulting with health professionals, this situation is likely to be responsible for a number of adverse health problems I have experienced over the last 3 months.
Imagine a person buys a loaf of bread and a cake from a bakery, and then the food is set down in the automobile and forgotten about for a few days. The person comes back only to see that the loaf of bread is covered in green fuzzy mold but the cake looks brand new. Why? The cake-contained more sugar than the bread, and sugar is used as a preservative. That is why the mold grew faster on the bread.
Small areas of mold growth can be cleaned and treated with bleach or another mold cleanser. Remember to wear a respirator and protective clothing as you perform this task to protect yourself from an allergic reaction.
Mold is a member of the fungi family. Since mold is part of the fungi family, it cannot use the sun to obtain energy. This means that mold has to use other plants or animals to grow. Even though they cannot see them, there are millions of mold spores in the air. These spores settle down and start to multiply which can be done rapidly or slowly as long as it has a food source. Mold usually grows best in warm environments, but it can still grow in cold environments also. Mold can cause illness such as vomiting or feeling nauseated when it is eaten or when it smells bad.
Mold is a fungus that can be found in damp places like bathrooms and basements. Mold travels in the air as tiny spores. The spores find their way to a wet area. This is where the spores breed and grow.
If your home has experienced a flood, leak, or some type of water damage, there is a good chance that it has mold growing somewhere. Even if you can’t see it, and the water damage has been repaired, mold can still be present. After flooding or water damage happens, you should call a professional to come and test for mold as soon as possible.
Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, mold, and yeast are present and common in almost every environment on earth. The normally microscopic organisms can easily be seen using differing types of agar, which creates an ideal environment for the organisms to form colonies, which are groups of hundreds of organisms that can be seen with the naked eye. In order to see individual microorganisms, it is necessary to use the magnification of a high-powered microscope.
Mould is a problem that is or has been experienced by almost every person, especially those living in damp conditions. It can cause several health issues as well as allergic reactions.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are an example of toxic substances, as they are made up of chlorine, carbon, and hydrogen and exude harmful properties such as endocrine disruption, carcinogenic effects, and bioaccumulation in living organisms and the environment/ecosystem. Toxins are chemicals that are produced naturally by living organisms that can be a potential danger to the ecosystem, especially its living populations. An example of a toxin is venom produced by snakes and spiders. It is important to note that toxins and chemicals are not the same. All chemicals are NOT toxins, but all toxins are chemicals. Toxicants are chemicals that enter the environment through anthropogenic activities. Toxicants are often characterized as “man-made.” Herbicides are a good example of a toxicant, as they are harmful chemicals used to eliminate the presence of unwanted plant growth, and are introduced into the environment by humans, usually farmers and agricultural workers. Poisons are chemical substances that can cause harmful effects in the biological system of its host, upon exposure. Again, possible hosts include the environment, humans, plants, animals, and other biotic factors in the ecosystem. All chemicals could potentially become categorized as poisons, as the term
The damp conditions cause the growth of moulds on both porous and fibrous materials. This causes damage to the finishes, both aesthetic and physical, and poses health hazard to the occupants.