Studies have shown that virtually all existing homes in areas with incidences of high humidity have some sort of mold colony in more than one area of the home. There are several hundred species of fungi that can be called mold and a few of them including black mold are considered toxigenic. Toxigenic, according to the dictionary, means producing toxins. For the uninformed, toxins are chemical products (liquid, solid or air born) that create toxic or lethal results in humans.

Any mold should be treated with care and should be mitigated and removed as soon as possible due to the potential health risks. Black molds like Stachybotrys, Aspergillus and others can create mycotoxins (toxic substance produced by a fungus, especially by molds) that create and aggravate health issues. Some symptoms caused by only mild mold exposure include: headache, dizziness, cold and flu like symptoms, chest congestion, and runny nose, loss of appetite, dermatitis, and vomiting and chest pain.

The symptoms above are shown more readily in persons who already have allergies, but the symptoms can start in even healthy individuals after only one exposure to black mold. Long term exposure only serves to increase the severity of the symptoms. Mold can grow on anything including dust and produces toxins that can create Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome which causes severe cold or flu like symptoms.

The problem is that unless the patient is aware of the mold issue at home or work the attending physician may treat this as a normal cold or flu outbreak and the cause will never be addressed. This will lead to longer term exposure and more severe symptoms and health problems. Finding the cause and effecting black mold removal will help the symptoms go away.

In severe cases black mold, especially Aspergillus, can actually grow in your lungs in the form of a fungal ball which produces toxins, uses the organ as its source of food, which will lead to necrosis of the organ and eventually death. To make the best form of black mold removal you may want to test for exactly what kind of mold you actually have. In some cases the type of mold will determine what kind of black mold removal process will be used.

You can test for mold with an air test, a swab test or a ventilation test. All involve the use of a Petri dish and an organic medium for the mold to grow on. The air test will have you place the prepared Petri dish in an area where you think mold may be growing. Leave the dish out for a couple of hours and then seal the dish and wait twenty four to forty eight hours to see what grows.

The swab test involves a similar Petri dish and swabbing the moldy area and rubbing it on the agar in the dish. Finally, the ventilation test involves the Petri dish and a ventilation duct that you suspect the mold may be hiding behind. Tape the Petri dish to the vent for a couple of hours, close off the dish and wait for mold to appear.

You can then have the test dishes sent to a lab for testing as to what the exact type of mold is present in your home. No matter what kind of mold is there, you will want to eliminate any kind of infestation as quickly as possible. In any case, before finding out what kind of mold you have, you will need to perform black mold removal processes and then use specific chemicals to prevent the mold’s recurrence.

Make sure that any leaks or sources for condensation are handled and eliminated. If you have building materials that have become covered in mold (drywall, carpet, wood, etc.) you will need a different process than mold only on hard surfaces.

Because mold is a fungus and spreads through spores if it has gotten on porous surfaces, many times the roots of the fungi will get into material it is on, and will remain even after the surface has been cleaned normally.

Some people think that the use of ozone generators is a good way to keep mold from recurring, but even the Environmental Protection Agency says that while ozone can kill mold, the amount necessary to effectively kill mold exceeds public health standards.

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