On August 20th, 1999, two young professional women, and one college female moved into a large, five level/split, and contemporary townhouse.  The location was excellent.  It sat on a wooded slope with a creek in the back, less than a mile from a lake.

Moving into this town home would allow these three women, and eventually one man, to: discover each others cultures, learn to live together, and learn about the responsibilities of having a home.

A tight bond developed, partially due to the need for taking care of each other.  That need continued to grow and escalate as the weeks passed.  Griega had developed severe migraines, and reoccurring nasal congestion.  India found herself developing dry, hacking coughs, and fevers overnight.  She would not be able to rid herself of the cough for weeks.  Gracie experienced chronic sinus infections, rashes, and burning, watery eyes.  It would be two months before the Doctors would diagnose her, and they would not discover the reason.  The fourth roommate, Angel, would move in a month later and experience the same symptoms as Gracie and India within seven days.
 
What these young women and man were experiencing is difficult to diagnose.  The common symptoms of respiratory conditions, nose and throat irritation, and headaches are often diagnosed as allergies.  Doctors are able to find the cause usually after the cases are severe, and they become aware that whole household is experiencing problems.  That is when it is discovered that the cause is Mold.

The enemy is 115,000 of an inch across, has tiny hair-like tentacles, which penetrate and absorb moisture.  It becomes airborne on contact, and can reproduce a colony in an hour after landing on a new surface.  Mold can grow on a host of porous surfaces:  cardboard, wood, carpeting, cloth, ceiling tiles, bathroom grout, etc.

Unknown to the occupants of the townhouse, their lovely home was the cause of their health problems.  Content with the home, they threw a housewarming party, and gave tours to proudly showing off how they had used the space.  The lower level of the basement was empty, except for storage boxes and bicycles.  The basement had not been a priority, because the room was cold and damp despite the carpeting.  Griega and Gracie found that they would get runny noses and scratchy throats when they went down, so they just avoided it.
 
Late in the fall their neighbor complained about water damage in their home on the main level.  The women checked all the levels in their unit, and only found that after the recent storms the basement carpet was damp, and there was a slight mustiness about it.  They contacted the owner with the news about the neighbor and their findings.  As there was no severe damage no changes were made to the home.

Gracie had missed a lot of work that fall, but on one particular day she would experience temporary vision loss driving to work.  Determined that there was something seriously wrong she went to the Doctors office, and made it clear that she would not leave without answers.  She would be diagnosed as having severe allergies, and be scheduled an appointment with the allergist.

The allergist found that Gracie was allergic to all environmental agents in Virginia, and to 80% of all the foods she was tested on.  Gracie although unhappy, was pleased because life was tolerable with the new medication, and the long list of things to stay away from.   The problem still hadn’t been addressed.

Only one of four people living in the household was receiving medical care.  The rainy days continued to bring on migraines to Griega and Angel, and dry coughs to India and Angel.  Gracie would just take an additional dose of medicine.

What these four housemates had not done was notice that it was not a single individual suffering, but that it was the household and that there had to be a greater problem.

Mold is a severe environmental hazard to people and animals.  In extreme cases it can cause severe health problems for the individuals exposed.  The damage to the persons is not always reversible, and can even be deadly; Mold can kill.   The first step is to discover if you have a problem with mold, and then to correct the problem.

The three young women, and one young man did not realize was that the musty odor in the basement was a clear sign of a problem.  After it rained the dampness of the carpet created a breeding ground for mold.  The wood paneling was warped in a number of areas along the shared town home walls, suggesting it too had gotten wet.  The mold spores became airborne when they walked on the carpet.  These spores would then land on the storage boxes, or were carried on their person or clothing to the upper levels of living space.  The mold was growing and expanding its coverage.

All four of the prior housemates are in much better health, with little remains of their previous ailments.  Had the exposure continued there may have been more permanent damage.  Griega continues to suffer from migraines, but not with the frequency or severity.   Gracie continues to struggle with allergies, but she is now able to eat numerous food items that previously gave her negative reactions.  She now has taken to spending a lot of times outdoors working out and camping without the problems she previously experienced.

Warning signs that mold may be a problem in your household:
- Musty smell
- Humidity/Moisture inside
- Condensation on the indoor side of the window pane.
- Visible mold (like on shower walls)
- Headaches, memory problems
- Flu like symptoms, nausea, lethargy
- Sneezing, itchy/water/red eyes, blurred vision
- Nasal/sinus congestion, runny nose, itchy/sore throat, dry/hacking cough, asthma
- Skin irritations/rashes

These symptoms seem to be alleviated once you leave the house and are exposed to fresh air.  Moving and being outside all the time are not the only solution to health problems due to Mold.  Once it is confirmed that there is Mold in a home, either by sight or smell, the site cleanup should begin.

There are three steps in the cleanup process:  removal, resolution, and cleaning.  Removal of permeated materials is important.  Non-porous materials can be cleaned, and don’t have to be disposed.  Resolve the cause of moisture so Mold is not encouraged to grow again.  Thorough cleaning of the site completes the decontamination.  This process should be done with the proper precautions:  rubber gloves, disposable clothing, disposable shop masks, and good ventilation.

The cleanup is dependent on the level of contamination.  In some cases just a bathroom or kitchen may need to be disinfected.  In the story given, a more thorough cleaning is needed since all contaminated materials must be thrown away, such as carpets and wood paneling.  In other situations it may also require furniture, clothes, ceiling tiles, and other porous materials to be removed.  In cases where immense contamination has occurred it is wise to have a professional contractor to take care of the decontamination.

Resolve the causes of moisture.  Check window treatments; exhaust fans; dehumidifiers; caulking; etc.  If humidity continues to remain between 70 –80 percent inside then mold will be encouraged to grow.

To completely eradicate possible new growths it is best to wash down the entire home.  The solution is 1 part bleach, 2 parts water, with enough dish soap to cut through grime.  (Warning:  Never mix bleach with ammonia, as this emits toxic fumes.)  It is important not to saturate and allow excess solution to remain standing.   It may be necessary to wash surfaces more than once to be sure that all mold is killed.  Allow surfaces to dry completely.

Mold is dangerous, but it can be controlled.