05/10/2021
DID YOU KNOW? Mycotoxins are not always produced by mold
Mycotoxins, according to any textbook or research reference, are defined as a Secondary Metabolite.
Metabolites are what a living organism produces when “digesting” its food. The nutrients are used and everything else is left behind as waste. Mold must be alive, growing, and “digesting” to produce mycotoxins. This means that dead or dormant mold cannot produce mycotoxins. Neither can the spores produce mycotoxins. Spores are the reproductive “seeds” made by the active growth to reproduce. Spores are neither alive nor dead, but under the right conditions can germinate, sprout, grow, and reproduce by making new spores. Only actively growing mold can produce mycotoxins.
But because mycotoxins are a Secondary metabolite, something else has to be happening that will sometimes trigger the production of mycotoxins. The purpose of mycotoxins is to protect the colony of growing mold from certain competing bacteria or mold growth in the vicinity. When these are detected a tiny amount of liquid is oozed out onto the surface toward the invaders. This prevents them from growing closer.
While all molds are capable of producing mycotoxins, none of them always do so. They need to be actively “feeding” AND close to certain other actively growing bacteria or mold.
This means that we cannot know if mycotoxins are present just by the type of mold. Neither can the type of mold be determined by which mycotoxins are present. The only way to know if mycotoxins are present is by a laboratory mycotoxin analysis.
Now you know!
Did you Know? What’s wrong with ERMI wipe samples?
5/19/2021
ERMI mold testing is actually a technical specification for the sampling of dust and the analysis by a qualified lab. If the specification is followed for every sample than the results should be consistent and directly compared to other samples.
The ERMI specification is to vacuum 3’ by 6’ area of carpet in a specific room. Vacuuming a bigger or smaller area, a different floor surface like hardwood floors, or vacuuming a couch or drapes for example is not consistent with the ERMI specification. Inconsistent samples, or samples not following the specification, result in inconsistent results. Inconsistent results cannot be compared to a threshold or to each other.
Likewise, samples collected by wiping door frames, counter tops, fan blades, HVAC vents, the mail box, or the garage door are NOT comparable to the calculated results based on the vacuuming specification for ERMI. Nor can they compared to each other! They each have a different meaning because they each used a different procedure.
In other words, despite all these differences being called ERMI, the testing and the results are not ERMI. That means we have no idea what those results mean.
Furthermore, if a lab supports or advocates ERMI sampling that does not comply with the ERMI specification, then that lab should supply their validation data for the non-ERMI procedure and justify how they interpret the results. I don’t know of any lab that is doing that. If you do, let me know so I can publish a correction.
Now You Know!
Did you know? Chemical use is not proper mold remediation
The use of mold “killers” and other chemicals – whether by wiping, spraying, gassing, coating, or fogging – is NOT mold remediation.
Mold remediation has two necessary requirement:
- Stop the moisture that grew the mold. If you leave the dampness the always present spores in the air can settle on the damp spot, germinate, sprout, grow, and reproduce by making new spores. This means that all the mold can be killed or even removed but new mold can grow in the same spot.
- Physically remove the visible mold growth plus water staining and damage. If the mold growth is left on the surface, even if dead, it can actually increase exposure. Dead mold colonies dry out and begin to break apart, much like how tree leaves in autumn fall to the ground and slowly begin to fragment into hundreds of tiny pieces until nothing visible is left. Which means they are easily blown around by the wind. Dead mold and spores can also fragment and become easily airborne. Academic research has actually measured fragments in the air of homes as much as a thousand times higher than viable spores.
Also, the addition of sprays, coatings, fogs, effusions, wiping, soaking, and other chemicals into the home can increase the risk of asthma, headaches, and other chemical exposure reactions. Occasionally, new sensitizations can occur. Solving a mold growth problem should not create a new type of exposure problem.
Pay for actual remediation, not something that is called “remediation.”
Now you know!