Hi
Gingergrrl : I need this info badly.....if black mold don't smell like mold and old and dry, is it still harmful ? Also, are there special symptoms for CFS patients if exposed to mold ? I was definitely exposed to mold recently for few weeks (smell and eyes burning) but the smell is gone and source of mold (hot water leak in crawl space under my unit) has been fixed. But there is black and white deposits under my floor that has been sprayed with some mold killing spay but not wiped off. Is this safe now ? thanks in advance.
@ghosalb Black mold (or any mold) can be present without any smell. We had it in our closet when six pipes were leaking (prior to us moving in) and when the remediation was delayed and botched up by landlord, it spread through the wall to the A/C unit which flooded the A/C closet. We had the highest levels of stachybotrys black mold in air testing and furniture/electronics testing ever seen by our mold company POST remediation.
So, yes, mold can be destroyed but the mycotoxins that they release (tricothecenes in the case of black mold) cannot be destroyed. We consulted with a top mold doc and she said I would never have a shred of chance of improving my health if we kept any of our belongings and the mold restoration company told us the same thing and refused to take our money to clean our belongings b/c they were too far gone (and nothing visible and no smell outside of the A/C closet and vents.)
So we moved and got rid of everything. The next step is replacing our cars which are completely cross contaminated but this is a longer term goal. But every time I am in the car, it affects my breathing. I have many other issues but not a shred of doubt that mold was the final trigger that destroyed my health. (I am not saying all ME/CFS is triggered by mold and only speaking about my own case which is complex- although I know every case is complex!)
Hope this helps (and sorry Rebecca for getting off track!!!) but thought it was an important question and wanted to help if I can.
@ghosalb Am happy to discuss more by PM to not totally sidetrack Rebecca's thread. I am very behind on PM's but hope to catch up next week.
