“The Future of Mold” has come along way. We’ve made great strides in reporting breaking news, important discoveries, and significant issues in the world of mold. Along the way, we’ve learned some very interesting facts about mold that greatly affect the way we perceive and deal with mold in our lives. Of all the things we have learned, here are the top 10 most interesting mold facts:
10. Mold grows in unseen places
Often people make the mistake that if you can’t see mold, you must not have it. But most molds grow in unseen places, such as crawl spaces, inside walls, under floors. This makes remediation difficult since some deconstruction is required to find and eliminate mold. Instead of using just your eyes, use your nose and your health as an indicator of mold.
9. New homes are usually moldier than old homes
Although old homes may be in disrepair and more susceptible to leaks, this does not compete with new home design practices and materials. New homes often have air-tight structures that save on energy but allow the air to be more easily contaminated as well as use organic building materials that make perfect food for mold.
8. Mold has been linked to tripling the asthma rate in the last 30 years.
Most likely because of the previously mentioned fact about new homes being moldier, the asthma rate has tripled since the energy crisis in the 70s that spurred the changes in new home construction.
7. Mold litigation claims have increased five to ten fold across the country during the last two years.
Mold is gold for lawyers. An estimated 10,000 mold suits are already pending. In Texas, toxic mold insurance claims went from 228 in 2000 to 1,188 in the first half of 2001. Farmers Insurance Group, settlements for mold claims in 2001 topped $85 million. It’s official, mold is the new asbestos.
6. Bleach can make mold matters worse, not better
Bleach is a traditional mold remediation method that we now know is mostly ineffective, and can even make mold worse. Bleach is 90% water, loses most of its killing ions before it is ever used, and will not penetrate porous surfaces to kill all the mold. It may work in your bathroom, but for everywhere else bleach may just be feeding the mold.
Check back with us next week to see the conclusion of the top 10 most interesting mold facts. For more information on mold, go to Guardian Preservation Services to find out how you can quickly and easily remove mold by using a safe and inexpensive new mold-fighting technology.
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