Good Morning,

This week's photo is of Mucor spp. by Dennis Kunkel. Click here for gallery prints of this photo, unframed and framed - - available beginning at $27.95

Hot tips on mold? Please let me know. Send information to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Cynthia Coulter Mulvihihll, Esq Hyde Mulvihill APC 216 W. Foothill Boulevard Monrovia CA 91016.

Her 26-year-old daughter, Alicia, also covered in gear, came out coughing. "That mold," she said. "It smells like death." Mold now forms an interior version of kudzu in the soggy South, posing health dangers that will make many homes tear-downs and force schools and hospitals to do expensive repairs.

Click here for: Southern residents hope to break out of the mold [Nic Money, my favorite mold author, is quoted in this] (Columbia Daily Tribune, MO - October 2, 2005)

Researchers reported that in every case, other medical causes could be identified to explain the illnesses believed to be caused by the condition that has come to be known as “toxic mold syndrome.”

Click here for: Study Questions Reality of ‘Toxic Mold’ Illness (FOX News - Sep 30, 2005)

The homes in New Orleans that sat up to their rooflines in water, sludge, and sewage will likely have to be razed, and everything in them thrown away, experts said, due in part to toxic Mold, corroded beams, and stench.

Click here for: When disaster strikes - Quick action -- and help from restorers -- can ensure your precious possessions weather life's many storms (Boston Globe, United States - October 2, 2005)

A year later Berry recalled seeing "black goo" in vents in the hall's bedroom area. During that time, Berry said, he had constant sinus problems and headaches. But his health got worse when he began to suffer breathing problems, he testified.

Click here for Two firefighters testify mold caused illnesses - Fire hall concentrations were at safe level, Metro lawyers say during trial (The Tennessean, TN - Sep 27, 2005)

The pollution, combined with the lack of regular medical services in the region, has raised serious questions about the safety of New Orleans and other coastal towns as people longing for home begin to go back. "I don't think New Orleans is safe for people to return to, from a public health and environmental health standpoint,'' said Miriam Aschkenasy, an environmental health expert working with Oxfam America in the region.

Click here for National Geographic: Gulf Wracked By Katrina's Latest Legacy—Disease, Poisons, Mold (National Geographic, D.C. - Sep 30, 2005)

The mold issue is something that will affect the entire Gulf Coast region but is going to be a particular problem in New Orleans because of the flooding that's occurred there and the duration of the flooding.

The data collection included a baseline and follow-up survey. The outcome of interest was development of asthma during the study period. The studied determinants were parental allergic diseases and four indicators of exposure at baseline: histories of water damage, presence of moisture and visible molds, and perceived mold odor in the home. A total of 138 (7.2%) children developed asthma during the study period, resulting in an incidence rate of 125 cases per 10,000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI), 104-146]. In Poisson regression adjusting for confounding, parental atopy [adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.52; 95% CI, 1.08-2.13] and the presence of mold odor in the home reported at baseline (adjusted IRR 2.44; 95% CI, 1.07-5.60) were independent determinants of asthma incidence, but no apparent interaction was observed. The results of this cohort study with assessment of exposure before the onset of asthma strengthen the evidence on the independent effects of parental atopy and exposure to molds on the development of asthma. Key words: asthma, damp housing, effect modification, interaction, molds. Environ Health Perspect 113:357-361 (2005). doi:10.1289/ehp.7242 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 9 December 2004]

Dillard University, Xavier University of Louisiana and Southern University at New Orleans got smacked with at least $1 billion in flood and fire destruction -- by far the worst damage of all the city's institutions of higher education.

Click here for School Mold: New Orleans's Black Colleges Hit Hard - Schools Worry About Losing Faculty to Host Institutions While They Rebuild (Washington Post, United States - Sep 30, 2005)

The move is expected to take place Nov. 1. The building first needs $19,000 in renovations, Kiernan said. The cost to lease is $13.50 per square foot (total 4,859 square feet), with a 3 percent increase each year, for a total price tag of $202,752, she said. This compares to the $9.16 per square foot charged by the town of Hampton to lease the century-old building on Winnacunnet Road.

Click here for Court Mold: Court moving to Seabrook (Hampton Union, NH - Sep 27, 2005)

Take the case of Colin and Gabi Baigel of Mamaroneck, N.Y., who had a policy with a company for 12 years. A few years ago, they filed a claim for a few thousand dollars when a toilet overflowed and caused some damage. Then, last year, during the winter ice storms, they put in another smallish claim -- $3,000 -- for some water leaks under the roof eaves. The next thing they knew, they were getting a call from their insurance broker telling them that their policy was not being renewed because of the two claims.

Click here for Mold & Insurance: Home insurance: If you use it, you could lose it (DetNews.com, MI - Sep 30, 2005)

Marcus Peacock, deputy EPA administrator, told the House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee his agency is testing extensively for hazardous substances in the area struck by Hurricane Katrina, but that the agency's job is only to provide "guidance" to state and local officials who make the final call.

Click here for Mold & Legislation: Panel debates EPA role in saying when storm areas are safe (GovExec.com - Sep 30, 2005)

Complementary and alternative therapies are often used by people with asthma. The most common reasons why people try alternative and complementary therapies are dissatisfaction with conventional therapies and concerns about steroid side-effects.

Click here for Mold & Medicine: Asthma: Complementary and Alternative Therapies (altmedicine.about.com - October 2, 2005)

No, he’s not actually wielding a light saber. But he is showing off what some are calling a new weapon in the fight against indoor air pollution.

Click here for Mold Technology: Purifiers spawn cleaner air, debate over their necessity (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN - Oct 2, 2005)

Fortunately, says Mark, now living temporarily in Florida and planning an indefinite stay in Virginia, her house is one of the few in her neighborhood with a basement. She says that makes her relatively "lucky," because the basement may collect the excess water, keeping it from ruining the rest of her house. (A spokesperson with the National Flood Insurance Program confirms this may be the case, but he says it is also entirely possible that basement flooding could seriously damage a home's foundation, depending on various factors). But with the waters receding, Mark faces a stark choice: Should she return as soon as the authorities will let her, or will that choice expose her and her 11-year-old son to environmental toxins that the government neglected to tell her about?

Click here for Mold Commentary: Storm Warnings: Will the Toxic Cleanup be Politicized? (E/The Environmental Magazine, CT - Sep 21, 2005)

The 5,000 square-foot home is being built using the latest technologies to keep homes free of moisture, mold and insects. It is the brainchild and new family home of Dr. Mani Skaria, who plans to also use the new structure as a classroom for builders and homeowners.

Click here for Mold Education: New House will be a Classroom for Builders, Homeowners (AgNews, TX - Sep 27, 2005)

Lawyer: Mr. Matthews, do you believe you are emotionally stable? Witness: I used to be. Lawyer: How many times have you committed suicide?

Click here For Fun: More Dumbest Things Ever Said in Court

Moisture Control is the key for microbial management. Moisture in buildings can be in the form of water vapor or as a liquid. The presence of moisture on the surface of building materials or inside structural components is the primary factor in sustaining microbial growth, which may lead to exposure to microbial emissions of spores and their metabolites, such as particle-containing mycotoxins and microbial Volatile organic compounds (mVOCs).

Click here for Mold Investigation: Clark Seif Clark, Inc.