Is Stachybotrys Present in My Home or Apartment?

All mold needs water to grow. Mold can grow anywhere there is water damage, high humidity or dampness. Most often molds are confined to areas near the source of water. Removing the source of moisture, such as through repairs or dehumidification, is critical to preventing mold growth. Many molds are black in appearance but are not SC, for example, the black mold commonly found between bathroom tiles. SC can only be positively identified through microscopic exam or by specially trained professionals. The basic synopsis, especially for ordinary cases, is as follows: Look for sources of building moisture damage. Ask building owners and occupants where moisture problems have been observed. Have there been any leaks? Are there any stained ceiling tiles? And so on. Ask if any areas are especially noted for respiratory irritation or musty odours. Ask if there are any previously flooded, malodorous carpets. If the building has an air handling system, ask to see plenums, humidifying systems and any other readily inspected portions of the system. Ask for details about how the system is constructed and insulated, and how it is maintained. Remember in northerly areas that any poorly insulated cold spots may grow mold. Also, bear in mind that virtually any surface within a duct will accrete a microbial biofilm, so that fibreglass insulation, for example, will grow molds in humid ducts even though the glass itself is inert.

In warm, humid places or seasons, cold water pipes may be a condensation hazard. Such pipes tend to drip condensation water constantly unless they have been shielded with pipe insulation. Pools of condensation water can form inside false ceilings when unshielded pipes are present. Therefore, a person called in to analyse buildings for mold growth should consider inquiring about whether or not hidden cold water pipes are insulated.

Desert and prairie parts of North America may be too dry to have this problem, but in eastern North America it occurs all the way from Florida to north of Lake Superior.

Earthen or poured concrete basement floors (or ground floors if there is no basement) are notorious sources of evaporation water, leading to very humid atmospheres in areas of moist climate. Basement floors where concrete has been poured over a plastic or tar moisture barrier are often exempt from this problem. Where concrete is simply poured over the ground, however, its porousness permits evaporation to issue through it, and natural subsidence leads to cracks which augment the amount of evaporation. The same thing may happen with poured concrete basement walls that have been installed without a moisture barrier. Earthen crawlspaces or root cellars connected to the basement or house may be sources of problem humidity.

Vinyl wallpaper, which traps moisture behind it, is a notorious fomenter of mold problems in humid parts of North America.

Attics or rooms which have become bird or bat nesting sites and contain guano deposits are a special problem. They may contain hazardous, virulently pathogenic fungi and should be dealt with by a specialist. If your state or provincial public health lab says you are in a geographic area where Histoplasma, Blastomyces or Coccidioides is known or suspected to be endemic, do not enter rooms with significant guano deposition unless you are wearing full asbestos gear with HEPA filter respirator. Follow asbestos protocols, such as discarding disposable coveralls into a sealed bag, bagging your clothing for thorough washing, and showering immediately while still wearing your respirator mask, before putting on fresh clothing.

Even outside endemic areas for the above-mentioned fungi, do not significantly disturb and aerosolize indoor bird or bat guano deposits, as they may contain the ubiquitous virulent opportunistic pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Although inhalation of a large inoculum of this organism is ordinarily needed before one becomes infected (e.g., with cryptococcal pneumonia or meningitis), immuno compromised people and a few unlucky otherwise-healthy people may become infected after exposure to a small number of cells, perhaps only one.

In the tropics, it may be so humid that all exposed organic material will become moldy. For example, most humid tropical areas have libraries in which all the books have moldy spines. To my knowledge, only air conditioning or mechanical dehumidification is likely to control this problem. I know of no magic spray-on material that will significantly deter molds over a prolonged period of time without also imperilling the health of humans.